‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma unleashed all his pent-up fury on bowlers with a swashbuckling 84 ball 131 as he led India to an overwhelming eight-wickets win over Afghanistan with 15 overs to spare as the hosts chalked out their second successive win in the ICC world Cup in the Arun Jaitley Stadium at Ferozshah Kotla here on Wednesday. India lost only two wickets while reaching 273.
Chasing 273 to win, openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, both of whom had failed to score against Australia in their World Cup opener in Chennai last week, not only made the amends but made the chase look much easier than expected. They put up 156 runs in 18.4 overs before Rashid Khan broke that stand getting rid of Ishan Kishan who scored a cautious 47 (5×4, 2×6).
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However, the spotlight was hogged by Rohit Sharma who punished the bowlers at will and in the process became the first Indian to score the fastest hundred off 63 balls in the World Cup.
The hit man had the bowlers scurrying for the covers as he punished them all across and over the park hitting 16 boundaries and five huge sixes.
It was Rashid Khan who finally sent Rohit back to pavilion when he bowled the Indian captain with the score reading 205 for 2.
After Ishan, Rohit added 49 runs for the second wicket with Kohli and then Kohli and Shreyas Iyer finished the job putting up 63 runs for unbeaten fourth wicket partnership.
Kohli off 56 balls hitting six boundaries while Iyer chipped in with 23 ball 25 which included a six.
Earlier gutsy half-centuries from captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (80) and Azmatullah Omarzai (60) and their 121 stand for the fourth wicket helped Afghanistan to a score a competitive 272/8.
Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first and were off to a tentative start losing three wickets for 63 before Shahidi and Omarzai halted the slide.
It was Jasprit Bumrah who gave the hosts an early breakthrough in the 7th over when he claimed opener Ibrahim Zadran (22, 28b) who edged him to wicketkeeper KL Rahul to break the 32-run first wicket stand.
The second wicket partnership of 31 runs between R Gurbaz and Rehmat Shah was brought to an end by Shardul Thakur who took a well judged catch near the boundary as Hardik Pandya got rid of opener Gurbaz (21, 28b). Thakur then trapped Rahmat Shah (16 off 22)) LBW in the next over to leave Afghanistan tottering at 63 for 3.
However, Shahidi and Omarzai displayed tremendous nerves and confidence facing the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja and helped their side make a steady recovery, reaching 100/3 in 24 overs before Omarzai switched gears when he carted Kuldeep for a couple of sixes in three deliveries, over long-on and long-off.
Omarzai reached his half-century with a couple and then his captain chimed in with a four and a six off successive deliveries from Hardik Pandya – the first boundary getting him to his half-century. The century stand between the two is just the second time that Afghanistan have managed in an ODI World Cup.
At 180/3 after 34 overs on a flat track, the Afghans looked like posting a sizeable total in the region of 300.However, Pandya struck in the 35th over to break the partnership when he outfoxed a well-set Omarazi with an off-cutter to have him bowled on 62.
Shahidi (80 off 88) tried to keep the Afghanistan innings going with Mohammad Nabi coming in at No. 7 but the partnership was limited to 41 runs as Kuldeep Yadav sent the skipper packing in the 43rd over.
Rohit Sharma brought Bumrah back in to attack in the 45th over and he triggered a mini collapse. The pacer first picked two wickets in an over of Nabi (19 off 27) and Najibullah Zadran (2 off 8) and then came back in the 47th over to dismiss dangerman Rashid Khan, who played a cameo of 12-ball 16 to take Afghanistan past 250.
Tailenders Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman (10 not out) and Naveen-ul-Haq (9 not out) manage to stay put at the crease to finish the Afghanistan innings at 272/8. Bumrah came up with his best bowling spell in a 50-over World Cup of 4/39 from 10 overs. For other pacer Mohammed Siraj it was a forgettable outing as he conceded 76 runs in seven wicketless overs.
Brief Score:
Afghanistan: 272 for 8 in 50 overs (Hashmatullah Shahidi 80, Azmatullah Omarzai 62; Jasprit Bumrah 4/39,Hardik Pandya (2/43), Kuldeep Yadav (1/40) and Shardul Thakur (1/31).
India 273 for 2 in 35 overs (Rohit Sharma 131,Ishan Kishan 47,Virat Kohli 55 Not out. Rashid Khan 2 for 57)
