India cruised to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their second match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday. Chasing a modest target of 273, India reached the target in 38.4 overs with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scoring unbeaten centuries.
Rohit and Kohli shine in record partnership
India lost Ishan Kishan early in the chase as he was caught behind off Naveen-ul-Haq for 12. However, that was the only success for Afghanistan as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stitched together a record-breaking partnership of 261 runs for the second wicket. The duo batted with ease and flair, hitting boundaries at will and rotating the strike efficiently. Rohit Sharma scored his 30th ODI hundred, becoming the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to achieve the feat. He remained unbeaten on 132 off 113 balls, with 15 fours and four sixes. Virat Kohli also reached his 46th ODI ton, his first in this World Cup. He finished on 121 not out off 108 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes. The partnership between Rohit and Kohli was the highest for any wicket in World Cup history, surpassing the previous record of 258 runs between Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels for West Indies against Zimbabwe in 2015.
Afghanistan post a respectable total
Earlier, Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first on a good batting surface. They got off to a decent start with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran adding 43 runs for the first wicket. However, Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in quick succession to remove both the openers. Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi then steadied the innings with a 54-run stand for the third wicket. Shahidi played a captain’s knock, scoring his fifth ODI hundred and his first in World Cups. He anchored the innings with a fluent 80 off 88 balls, with eight fours and a six. He found an able partner in Azmatullah Omarzai, who played an aggressive knock of 62 off 69 balls, with two fours and four sixes. The pair added 102 runs for the fifth wicket, taking Afghanistan past 200. However, Hardik Pandya broke the partnership by dismissing Omarzai and triggered a mini-collapse. Afghanistan lost four wickets for 27 runs in the final overs and finished on 272 for 8 in 50 overs. Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers for India, taking four wickets for 39 runs in his 10 overs.
India top the table with two wins
With this win, India moved to the top of the points table with four points from two matches. They have a net run rate of +1.625, which is the best among all teams so far. Afghanistan are at the bottom of the table with zero points from two matches. They have a net run rate of -1.375, which is the worst among all teams so far.
India will play their next match against arch-rivals Pakistan at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, October 14. Afghanistan will face Bangladesh at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, October 15.
