Bridgetown: In a Super-8 T20 World Cup clash, India asserted their dominance with a commanding 47-run victory over Afghanistan on Thursday, fuelled by Suryakumar Yadav's aggressive half-century and Jasprit Bumrah's outstanding performance, claiming 3 wickets for just 7 runs.
Opting to bat first, India posted a formidable total of 181/8 in their 20 overs. The innings began with some early jitters as Rohit Sharma fell for 8 in the third over, caught by Rashid Khan off Fazalhaq Farooqi. Rishabh Pant provided a brief spark, hitting four boundaries in a quickfire 20 before being trapped LBW by Rashid Khan in the seventh over.
Virat Kohli attempted to stabilise the innings but was dismissed for 24, also falling to Rashid Khan. Suryakumar then turned the tide for India with a scintillating knock of 53 off 28 balls, including five boundaries and three sixes. His aggressive approach, particularly against the Afghan spinners, regained momentum for India. Hardik Pandya contributed a valuable 32 off 24 balls, adding crucial runs in the death overs.
Rashid Khan was the standout bowler for Afghanistan, finishing with figures of 3/26, while Fazalhaq Farooqi impressed with 3/33. Naveen-ul-Haq also chipped in, dismissing Hardik Pandya in the 18th over.
Chasing a challenging target, Afghanistan's innings got off to an aggressive start with Gurbaz hitting a four and a six off Arshdeep Singh. However, Jasprit Bumrah struck early, dismissing Gurbaz for 11 in his first over, setting the tone for India's bowling dominance.
Axar Patel and Bumrah further dented Afghanistan's chase, taking key wickets of Ibrahim Zadran (8) and Hazratullah Zazai (2). Afghanistan's middle order struggled to build partnerships as India’s bowlers maintained pressure. Azmatullah Omarzai provided some resistance with a brisk 26 off 20 balls, but wickets continued to tumble.
Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep delivered crucial blows, with Kuldeep taking 2/32 and Arshdeep finishing with an impressive 3/36. Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3/7, ensuring Afghanistan never gained the upper hand. The Afghan innings eventually folded for 134 in 19.6 overs.
