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“Its simple we wanted to use him (Bumrah) smartly when the conditions allow him to. He gets a longer spell and because he can pick wickets in the spell he can get you quick wickets. He is the bowler who can do the damage at any stage of the innings and the opposition knows that as well. The communication was to finish him off at 49th over so that Shami has enough runs to defend in the last over and yeah the plan worked really well today. Keeping Chahal back also worked. All in all, the bowling performance was outstanding.”
It was Bumrah’s double strike in the 29th over that won India the match.
Bumrah said: “That gives you a lot of confidence, if the captain has so much of trust in you, that gives you a lot of confidence to trust yourself and clear head in terms of how I want to execute. We saw that wicket was getting slower and slower with the older ball, you need to be more accurate and bowl stump to stump. This is a big ground and there was reverse swing, but you need to rely on your yorkers as well and play according to the situation. It was a tight game and I backed my skills. Sometimes when you run behind wickets, you don't get wickets. We wanted to create pressure and take the run rate high. As soon as the required rate gets high, you get wickets. Gives us healthy competition in the side and we (bowlers) all discuss as what to do and how things are going. It's a good sign when everyone is chipping in with the wickets.”
Mohammad Shami came out all guns blazing to take three wickets in the final over of the match to bundle Afghanistan out for 213 and survive a mighty scare. India won the match by 11 runs.
Needing 16 runs off the last over, Nabi kept Afghanistan in the hunt. But Shami took three wickets of the second, third and fourth ball of the over. His victims included Nabi, Aftab Alam and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Nabi was in long-on by Hardik Pandya while both Aftab and Mujeeb had their stumps rattled by Shami
This is the first hat-trick of the World Cup and second time an Indian has taken a hat-trick in a World Cup match.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled a tight 49th over which conceded only five runs and swung the game in India's direction.
Afghanistan: 213 all-out in 50 overs
Finally, Shami bowls an excellent over. He gives away only three runs. Nabi was declared out LBW off the first ball but he reviewed it and got it overturned.
Afghanistan: 204/7 in 48 overs
Chahal tosses up the delivery. Rashid misses it as it turns outside off. Dhoni doesn’t miss it and takes the bails off in a flash. Rashid doesn’t even wait for the umpire.
Afghanistan: 190/7 in 45.4 overs
Shami again concedes more than six an over in third consecutive over. The over yields 9 runs.
Afghanistan: 185/6 in 45 overs
Very important breakthrough for India.
Pandya bowls a slow off-cutter which takes the inner part of the Zadran’s bat. Chahal completes the formalities at short mid wicket. This was second catch of the day for Chahal.
Afghanistan: 166/6 in 41.3 overs
Again Shami goes too many in the context of the match. The first ball of the over went for a boundary. Zadran hits the ball for four in the direction of midwicket. He also bowls two wides in the over.
Afghanistan: 161/5 in 41 overs
Afghanistan bring up their 150 in the over.
Zadran hit Shami for a four over mid-off in the over. Apart from this, he went for three singles and bowled a wide.
Afghanistan: 151/5 in 39 overs
Afghan goes a for wild slog and tries to hit across the line. The ball instead skids through and hits the stumps. Chahal celebrates as Asgar walks back to the pavilion for 8.
Afghanistan: 130/5 in 36 overs
First it was Rahmat Shah. Bumrah dropped in a quick bouncer. Rahmat couldn’t handle the delivery and end up top-edging. Chahal ran in from fine leg and to hold onto a low catch.
Two deliveries later, Bumrah drops in a short-of-a-length ball. Shahidi jumps as he tries to deal with but ends up poping it back to Bumrah, who completes the caught and bowled.
Game-changing over from Bumrah!
Afghanistan: 106/4 in 29 overs
Hashmatullah Shahidi brings up the hundred for his side with a single off Bumrah. Afghanistan need 125 runs off 141 balls.
It looks like Afghans are consolidating. They know their target and prefer to take not any chances. They are happy with the singles and the odd boundary.
Afghanistan: 98/2 in 26 overs
The over was going well till the last delivery. Hardik Pandya was sticking to tight line. And for the last ball of the over, Rahmat Shah moves to his leg side and hits the ball for a boundary over covers.
Afghanistan: 76/2 in 21 overs
Finally, Pandya strikes. Gulbadin pulls a short ball from Pandya. But he top-edges it and Shankar doesn’t make a mistake as he runs in from deep mid wicket.
Afghanistan: 64/2 in 16.5 overs
The Afghanistan batsmen are having a tough time reading Kuldeep early on. Gulbadin survives a stumping. Dhoni whipped of the bail in a flash but the skipper hardly moved from his crease.
Three balls later Kuldeep bowls a beauty. How did it miss the stump! The ball goes past Gulbadin’s outside edge and misses the stump also.
Afghanistan: 61/1 in 16 overs
Afghans are looking to up the ante. And they have decided to target Hardik Pandya. After going for 8 runs in the first over, Gulbadin creamed two boundaries in Hardik’s second over. He gives away 12 runs in the over.
Afghanistan: 54/1 in 12 overs
Skipper Gulbadin and Rahmat at crease. Both continuing to play the waiting game. After Bumrah and Shami, Kohli has introduced Hardik and Chahal into bowling. Looks like the Afghans would like to take their chances against these two. Hardik already went for 8 runs in his first over.
Afghanistan: 37/1 in 10 overs
It looks like Shami is here to prove a point!
Zazai finally loses the battle against Shami. He tried to hit towards the mid-wicket but misses the line and Shami goes through his gates. It was ‘fast and furious’.
Shami continues to bowl full. Gulbadin and Zazai still not taking any chance. Happy with the single and the twos.
Afghanistan: 16/0 in 5 overs
Indian pacers are bowling with full steam. Afghanistan openers are not taking any chances. They would most probably see off the first five overs since there are not many runs on the board.
Zazai survives an LBW call against Shami. On-field umpire not impressed. DRS also not in India’s favour as replays showed that the ball was pitches outside leg.
Afghanistan: 6/0 in 3 overs
Classy, classy bowling by the skipper.
Kedar Jadhav too falls in the last over of the innings. Out on 52 and that's Gulbadin's second wicket of the match.
Bumrah is the new man in and he manages to get just 1 run off the last ball as India post 224/8. This, after being 175/4 after 40 overs.
What a turnaround from the Afghan bowlers!
Last over of the innings and it's skipper Gulbadin Naib with the ball.
Kedar Jadhav completes his half century off the first delivery but two balls later, loses his partner Mohammad Shami. Castled on 1.
Afghanistan's bowling's really turned a corner in the last 10 overs! Aftab Alam bowls a slower one to Hardik Pandya and he's caught trying to lob it over the keeper. Not this time though as Ikram Alikhil latches on and that's India's 6th wicket.
India: 219/6 after 49 overs.
Skipper Gulbadin Naib bowls the third-last over of the Indian innings and makes sure it's a tight one.
Pandya hits the first ball hard but it crashes on the stumps at the non-striker's end. Jadhav and Pandya are dealing in just singles and doubles as just 7 runs come off the over.
After 47 overs, India are 206/5 and there's still a lot more left of the Indian innings.
Rashid Khan though has earned his redemption, finishing with 1/38 in his 10 overs. That one wicket? Of MS Dhoni's. Stumped in one-day cricket for only the second time in his career!
In his last outing, Rashid had earned the dubious record of becoming the most expensive bowler in World Cup history, conceding 110 runs in his 9 overs against England.
52 balls at the crease and the Indian skipper is stumped on 28! Quite some celebrations in the Afghanistan camp as India are now 5 down.
India: 194/5 in 45 overs.
Hardik Pandya is the new man in
MS Dhoni plays a shot but he doesn't want the run. Jadhav does. Dhoni goes back into his crease, Jadhav is a loooong way short on his crease but as Rashid slowly throws the ball to the crease Gulbadin mixes a step, slips and falls. There's noone to collect the ball and Jadhav makes it back into his crease!
Seamer Aftab Alam with the ball in the 43rd over and Kedar Jadhav hits one high. In the right area though, this one, and he gets a boundary for it.
Dhoni too goes big on the 5th ball. Another boundary.
11 runs from the over
India: 190/4 after 43 overs.
MS Dhoni hits Afghan skipper Gulbadin for a boundary off the fourth delivery and India collect 9 runs off the 40th over.
Projected score from here is 265-270.
Rashid Khan was brought back into the attack in the 37th over and the spinner conceded just 4 runs. The boundary though was the first since Virat’s wicket.
Jadhav and Dhoni now both have one to their name and India are 163/4 after 38 overs.
Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni’s partnership is off to a slow start. Players do need to ensure don’t lose anymore wickets in a hurry. The result? Just 11 runs coming off the last 21 balls after Virat was sent back to the hut.
India: 146/4 after 34 overs
The Indian skipper is out.
Mohammad Nabi with the breakthrough for Afghanistan once again. The India captain top-edged Nabi to third man Rahmat Shah and has been dismissed for a 63-ball 67 with five boundaries.
India: 135/4 in 30.3 ov
Mohammad Nabi with the ball and MS Dhoni changes the pace of the game with a slew of dot balls. He’s now made just 2 off the 13 he’s faced.
India: 128/3 after 29 overs
India have lost their third wicket. Vijay Shankar caught LBW off Rahmat Shah. They ask for a DRS review but there’s no change in decision and India’s number four walks on 29.
India: 122/3 after 26.1 overs
A boundary from Vijay Shankar and it’s a 50-run partnership between him and the Indian skipper.
India’s scoring at a run rate of 4.60 but there’s a lot more batters waiting in the dressing room so there may quite some fireworks in the business end of this innings.
Virat is 53 not out off 51 balls and Vijay Shankar’s on 27.
India: 115/2 after 25 overs.
On the 48th ball he faces, Virat Kohli completes his half-century. His third straight fifty of this World Cup, his 52th ODI fifty.
India: 98/2 after 22 overs
20th over the Indian innings and Rashid Khan is handed the ball. The first ball goes for a boundary but there’s DRS being called upon for the third.
Vijay Shankar’s right pad looks to be coming in the way but replays show that the ball first connected with the ball. No go. Afghanistan lose a referral.
India: 86/2 after 20 overs
India’s new number four Vijay Shankar’s the new man and he’s taking his time to settle in. 4 runs off the 9 deliveries he’s faced as Virat’s taken the charge of keeping the scorecard ticking.
2 runs from the 17th over.
India: 73/2 after 17 overs
India lose their second opener.
Batting on 30, KL Rahul tries a reverse sweep and directs the ball straight into the arms of Hazratullah Zazai. Mohammad Nabi with the wicket.
India: 64/2 in 14.2 overs
8, 6 and 4 runs from the last three overs. Mohammad Nabi has been introduced into the attack by Naib but he gets no different a treatment than the others as Virat and KL complete their 50-run partnership, off 51 balls.
India 59/1 after 13 overs
Even-stevens thus far as Afghanistan’s managed to hold India back. Still no sign of Rashid Khan though as skipper Gulbadin Naib concedes 5 runs in the 10th over.
Aftab Alam is picked out by Virat Kohli to work his bat around a bit. The fourth and fifth deliveries have been sent past the boundary line as this proves to be the most expensive over of the innings thus far.
India: 34/1 after 8 overs.
What an eventful over!
KL Rahul got India’s first boundary of the match off the second ball but just three deliveries later, he would’ve been walking back to the hut, had Afghanistan kept a first slip.
He edges on but with first slip moving to second, the ball passes from between the gap and that’s a lifeline for the new opener.
India: 18/1 after 6 overs
Some early pressure on India’s openers and Rohit Sharma succumbs.
Two centuries in this World Cup so far but today he’s been completely foxed by Mujeeb ur Rahman. Out on 1.
India: India: 7/1 after 4.2 overs
Aftab Alam claims the first maiden of the match. Supported by some good fielding and the fourth over is a maiden.
India: 7/0 after 4 overs
Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowled the first over and concedes just one run in the third.
India: 7/0 after 3 overs
Got to get used to watching KL Rahul coming out to bat with Rohit Sharma now.
The duo get the first crack at the Afghan bowlers today and that’s 3 runs off the first over.
India: 3/0 after 1 over
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (capt), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.
Aghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib (capt), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Virat Kohli has called it right and the Indian skipper elects to bat first at The Rose Bowl in Southampton. There will be no debut World Cup game for Rishabh Pant as the team makes just one “forced” change: Mohammed Shami comes in for the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
"The rest of the squad is the same. Vijay showed a lot of composure in the last game. Brings balance with bat and ball and he's good as anyone in the world in the field,” said the Indian skipper.
“Whether we are playing a team that's strong or the team that's coming through the ranks, our mindset is the same. We don't take Afghanistan lightly, they are a dangerous side when they are on the groove. Focus is within our group on what we want to do as a side," he added at the toss.
Afghanistan have made two changes, bringing in Hazratullah Zazai and Aftab Alam in place for Noor Ali Zadran and Dawlat Zadran.
Afghanistan are coming into the match on the heels of a 150-run defeat to England on 18 June where the hosts posted 397/6, the highest total of the tournament so far. Eoin Morgan smashed a world record 17 sixes in his 71-ball 148 and was particularly harsh against legspinner Rashid Khan, who conceded a World Cup-record 110 runs off his bowling.
But Rashid, who entered the World Cup as one of the top-ranked bowlers in limited-overs cricket, isn't likely to be deterred.
"I am not thinking too much about that match. People forget 10 good days and conveniently remember that one particular bad day. They don't like to remember what Rashid did on previous 10 days," he said ahead of the India game.
"I would focus on the mistakes I committed in that match and rectify those in the coming matches. No point thinking about the criticism. I need to keep things simple," added the 20-year-old.
India in top form this World Cup but they've had their share of injury scares and replacements. With Shikhar Dhawan being officially ruled out of the tournament, Rishabh Pant has joined the squad as his replacement. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is out for a few weeks with the hamstring injury he picked up in the last match and is expected to be replaced by Mohammad Shami in the playing XI today.
But does a game against Afghanistan mean Virat Kohli will choose to test his bench? Can Rishabh get a debut game in place of Vijay Shankar who himself got hit on the toe while batting in the nets on Thursday.
It’s the pre-tournament favourites against the 2019 World Cup’s wooden-spooners.
India take on Afghanistan in Saturday’s first fixture and unless there’s a greater upset on the cards than what happened last night’s, Virat Kohli’s squad are expected to pick up 2 easy points and move closer to booking a semi-finals berth.
India are unbeaten in their four matches so far in the tournament, with the game against New Zealand ending in a washed-out draw. Afghanistan, on the other hand, lost each of their five fixture so far.
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