Afghanistan's skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi made 80 while India's fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah picked up a four-for; India now face Pakistan on Saturday (9am on Sky Sports Cricket, first ball 9.30am)
Thursday 12 October 2023 09:22, UK
Rohit Sharma’s magnificent 131 inspired India to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Afghanistan at the packed Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Sharma, who looked in imperious touch, struck a 30-ball half-century before motoring to his 100 from just 63 deliveries to bring up his seventh World Cup hundred from only 19 innings, moving him clear of Sachin Tendulkar's record while also surpassing Chris Gayle's record of hitting the most sixes in international cricket across all formats.
Afghanistan posted a solid 272-8 with their skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (80) smashing a promising knock and Azmatullah Omarzai (62) following suit, but fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah (4-39) and birthday boy Hardik Pandya (2-43) restricted them below 300, allowing for a comfortable chase.
In reply, Afghanistan struggled to take wickets, the first breakthrough coming only in the 19th over with Ishan Kishan (48) getting a leading edge off Rashid Khan (2-57), with Ibrahim Zadran taking a simple catch and the Indian opener departing three runs short of a half-century.
The leg-spinner also bowled Sharma (131) - the only other wicket to fall in India's innings - after inviting him into a false shot and clattering the middle stump after he struck 16 fours and five sixes to reach India's fastest World Cup century, beating a 72-ball effort by Kapil Dev in 1983.
The impressive win saw India move up to second on the table, behind New Zealand on net run-rate, while Afghanistan dropped to 10th place.
Sharma and Kishan shared an opening partnership worth 156 but they set the tone of the match within the powerplay as they galloped to 94-0 within 10 overs.
Afghanistan's bowlers looked frustrated and turned to their trusted wicket-taker Rashid who removed Kishan to quieten the India fans.
Rashid removed Sharma to leave the hosts 205-2, but with only 68 more runs needed, and Virat Kohli coming to the crease, victory was already in sight.
Kohli added 55 not out to reach back-to-back half-centuries in his World Cup campaign while Shreyas Iyer (25) helped to anchor the innings.
By the 35th over, India needed four more runs to win and Kohli smashed a four straight down the ground off Azmatullah to complete the box-office attraction.
Prior to this World Cup, India played 66 one-day international matches in comparison with Afghanistan's 29, a stark difference which was highlighted in their performance.
Hashmatullah and Azmatullah made valiant attempts to help their side reach a decent total on a flat pitch after winning the toss and electing to bat.
Opening pair Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran shared a stand of 32 (40), but all-rounder Pandya struck in the seventh over getting Zadran caught behind, while Shardul Thakur completed a terrific juggling catch to dismiss the former.
Afghanistan fell to 63-3 by the 13th over but Hashmatullah and Azmatullah's stand of 121 (128) - the second-highest partnership for Afghanistan - showed signs of encouragement as reached 229-6.
But Bumrah mopped up the tail to remove Najibullah Zadran (two) and Mohammad Nabi (19) in the same over before dismissing Rashid (16).
Afghanistan have improved since their 156 all out against Bangladesh on Saturday but coming up against Sharma, a master of his craft, was always going to prove challenging.
Player of the match and India's captain Rohit Sharma:
"I knew once I got my eye in the wicket, it would only get easier and easier to bat on. I've been thinking about it a long time. I'm glad I could go a little big and it was a special feeling and it is always special to score a hundred in a World Cup.
"I don't want to think about records too much. There is a long way to go and I don't want to lose my focus. I want to focus on the what the team requires of me.
"It is my duty batting at the top of the order to make sure we get the start that we want, particularly in a chase, and put the team in a comfortable position. I want to back myself to keep doing that. It is important to not lose that mindset and keep putting pressure on the opposition."
Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi:
"We had a target of 300-plus in these conditions, especially as India's batting line-up is strong.
"The surface was good so we wanted to score runs and put pressure on the opposition but the back-to-back wickets cost us. We will try and learn from our mistakes and come back with a positive attitude."
Hosts India head to Ahmedabad for their next Cricket World Cup group match where they face Pakistan on Saturday (9am on Sky Sports Cricket, first ball 9.30am).
Afghanistan come up against England in Delhi on Sunday (9am on Sky Sports Cricket, first ball 9.30am).
