It has been a long dream for India, but it is finally beginning to come true. In the first match of the Super-8, which took place on Thursday in Barbados, India defeated Afghanistan by a score of 47 runs. Throughout the league stage, the winning run continued, and a collective performance was the most dominant factor.
India vs Afghanistan Highlights: Key Moments
First, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya both performed really well and India scored 181/8 in 20 overs. Suryakumar Yadav scored 53 runs off 28 balls, while Pandya scored 32 runs off 24 balls, including three fours and two sixes. There were three wickets taken by Fazullah Farooqui (3/33) and Rashid Khan (3/26) respectively. Bumrah (3/7) and Arshdeep Singh (3/36) were both bowled very well and Afghanistan was all out for 134 runs. The lead scorer in the Afghanistan team was Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored 26 runs. ‘Man of the Match’ was awarded to Suryakumar because he was the one who gave the team a fighting score with a half-century.
Poor Performance by Afghanistan
In the pursuit that India was conducting, Afghanistan did not get off to a good start. To begin the chase, Bumrah took the maiden wicket of Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz(11). On the other hand, Afghanistan suffered a series of wicket losses in rapid succession due to the emergence of spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2/32), Akshar Patel (1/15), and Jadeja (1/20), as well as the swing of Bumrah. Both Azmatullah and Naib (17) attempted to stand in the middle order, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Both Hazratullah (2) and Zadran (8) were absolutely unsuccessful. After having a difficult start, Arshdeep was able to take the wickets of the tailenders in the end, which ultimately proved to be the decisive factor in the victory.
Falling and rising of Indian Batsmen
After winning the toss, India decided to bat first. Despite the fact that Rohit (8) opened his account with a boundary on the fifth ball he faced, he was unable to remain at the crease for an extended period of time. Alongside Kohli (24), Pant (20), who had come to bat during the first down. A quick action was taken by both of them, which prevented the loss of another wicket and advanced the scoreboard forward. During the sixth over that Nabi delivered, Pant hit a hat-trick of fours, which ended the innings. India had scored 47 runs when the power play came to a close. Rashid took Important Wickets and India suffered the loss of four important wickets and scored 90 runs.
Brilliant Performance by Surya and Pandya
Both Suryakumar and Hardik Pandya Performed Brilliantly in the Middle Order. In the thirteenth over, India surpassed the 100-run milestone as a result of Surya’s signature style of hitting boundaries and his ability to run up the scoreboard. After Surya had scored a half-century with a four. he was dismissed on the very next delivery, which resulted in the break of the partnership that had been accumulating 60 runs for the 5th wicket. Overall, Surya Kumar Yadav scored 53 runs in 28 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes, On the other side, Hardik Pandya scored 32 runs in 24 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Overall, Team India had a solid win over Afghanistan in the first match of the 2024 T20 World Cup Super 8 stage. However, despite being in super form in terms of bowling, cricket analysts expect top-order batsmen will play well in upcoming matches. On Saturday, India will play their next encounter, which will be against Bangladesh.