Team India beat Afghanistan by eight wickets in match number nine of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11. Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first in the game. However, the Indian bowlers came up with an impressive effort to restrict Afghanistan to 272/8.
Jasprit Bumrah starred with 4/39, while Hardik Pandya claimed 2/43 as Afghanistan fell short of posting a competitive score. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi top-scored for his side with 80 off 88 balls, while Azmatullah Omarzai contributed 62 off 69 deliveries. However, the others did not chip in as Afghanistan lost momentum towards the end of their innings.
Chasing 273, Rohit Sharma played a sensational knock as the Men in Blue got over the line in 35 overs with eight wickets in hand. The Indian captain smashed multiple records in his 131 off only 84 balls.
Rohit added 156 for the first wicket with Ishan Kishan (47 off 47). Virat Kohli (55* off 56) and Shreyas Iyer (25* off 23) then combined to take India home.
India’s next match will be against arch-rivals Pakistan
Having conquered the Afghanistan challenge, the Men in Blue will next face arch-rivals Pakistan in the much-hyped 2023 World Cup encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The marquee match will be played on Saturday. It will be a day-night encounter, which will begin at 2:00 PM IST.
India have never lost a World Cup match to Pakistan in the ODI World Cup. The two sides have faced each other seven times starting 1992 and the Men in Blue have emerged victorious on each occasion. Their last encounter in the ODI World Cup was in Manchester during the 2019 edition. India beat Pakistan by 89 runs [DLS method] as opener Rohit contributed a brilliant 140.
Both India and Pakistan are undefeated in the 2023 World Cup so far. The hosts began their campaign with a six-wicket win over Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8. They eased to their second triumph against Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Pakistan had their nervous moments in their World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Hyderabad. However, they ended up registering victory by a comprehensive margin of 81 runs.
Babar Azam and company created history at the same venue, chasing down 345 against Sri Lanka – the highest successful chase in the history of the ODI World Cup. The win was engineered by fine hundreds from Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique.
