It was expected to be a fairly easy outing for India, but spirited Afghanistan forced Virat Kohli & Co to play out of their skins. Then, Mohammed Shami, playing in his first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, produced a sensational last-over hat-trick to set up an 11-run win at The Rose Bowl in Southampton, which also proved to be India's 50th victory in the sport's grandest tournament. Get the highlights and score of India vs Afghanistan match here:
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11:22 PM IST: Virat Kohli, winning captain, said: This is right up there (as a win). Thought 260 or 270 would be a good total. At the halfway stage, we had our doubts. It was difficult against three quality wrist-spinners. Needed to use [Jasprit] Bumrah smartly. [Mohammed] Shami was really good today. He was making the ball move more than anybody. This game was way more important for us, because things didn't go as planned. That's when you need to show character and bounce back."
11:16 PM IST: Gulbadin Naib, losing captain said, "We played really well in the first innings. The bowlers bowled really well. We know India have a strong batting line-up. Bumrah was superb at the death - in the last two, three overs."
Also Watch: Mohammed Shami's Sensational Hattrick
11:13 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah, MoM, said, "If the captain has so much of trust in you, that gives you a lot of confidence to trust yourself and a clear head in terms of how I want to execute."
11:10 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah wins the man of the match award. But Mohammed Shami was brilliant. Skipper Virat Kohli very good knock, while Kedar Jadhav scored his maiden World Cup fifty. For Afghanistan, it was a very fight with Mohammad Nabi showing what a class act he is. His heroics, however, went in vain as India held on to a thrilling win to remain unbeaten in the tournament.
11:00 PM IST: Mohammed Shami on with the last over. Mohammad Nabi hits the first ball for a four to long on. That's his fifty in53 balls. A dot as Nabi denies taking a single. Then, Nabi (52 off 55) hits straight to long-on fielder, Hardik Pandya. FoW-213/8 (49.3 overs). Aftab Alam is the new man. And bull's eye for Shami. Middle stump. Two in two. Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the new man. And it's hattrick. India win by 11 runs.
Mohammad Shami becomes second Indian, after Chetan Sharma (1987), to take a hattrick in World Cup.
10:54 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his last over. A dot to Mohammad Nabi, then a dot as Afghan batsman plays to deep extra cover. Nabi changes his bat, probably a six-hitting one. A single to long on, then a dot to Ikram Ali Khil. Now 18 from 8. A well-directed yorker for a single. 17 from 7. Another yorker, and five runs from the over. Bumrah's figures: 10-1-39-2. Brilliant. AFG-209/7 after 49 overs. They need 16 runs from 6 balls.
10:47 PM IST: Mohammed Shami on with his ninth over. And he traps Mohammad Nabi. Afghanistan review. No, outside off. Nabi survives. A single off the next ball. Then two three dots to Ikram Ali Khil. A double to deep mid-wicket. Three runs from the over. AFG-204/7 after 48 overs. They need 21 runs from 12 balls.
10:40 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his ninth over. Mohammad Nabi hits the third ball for a six over midwicket. Eight runs from the over. AFG-201/7 after 47 overs. They need 24 runs from 18 balls.
10:36 PM IST: Mohammed Shami removes Rashid Khan (14 off 16). Ikram Ali Khil is the new man. Eight runs from the over. AFG-193/7 after 46 overs. They need 32 runs from 24 balls. Chahal's figures: 10-0-36-2.
10:30 PM IST: Mohammed Shami on with his eighth over. Starts with a length ball and punished. Mohammad Nabi hits it to long off boundary for a four. A single, then some tennis. A forehand smash from Rashid Khan, to long on. Shami responds with a well-directed bouncer as Nabi moves to make some room. Big shout for LBW against Nabi. No response from the umpire. High. One leg bye. Rashid takes a double off the last ball, courtesy a Kedar Jhadav misfield. Nine runs from the over. AFG-185/6 after 45 overs. They need 40 runs from 30 balls.
10:24 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his eighth over. Two dots to Rashid Khan. A single off the third ball as Rashid plays it to square leg. Another single, to mid-on. And a couple off the fifth ball as Rashid plays it to deep extra cover. Vijay Shankar, little slow on the turf. A chance of a run-out. Direct hit required. Mohammad Nabi survives. Four runs from the over. AFG-176/6 after 44 overs. They need 49 runs from 36 balls.
10:20 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal on with his ninth over. Two dots to Rashid Khan, then a couple through point. A single to fine leg. Then a couple of dots to Mohammad Nabi. Three runs from the over. AFG-172/6 after 43 overs. They need 53 runs from 42 balls.
10:16 PM IST: Hardik Pandya on with his last over. And he gets a wicket, that of Najibullah Zadran (21 off 23). Caught at mid-wicket by Yuzvendra Chahal. FoW-166/6 (41.3 overs). Rashid Khan is the new man. Four runs from the over. Pandya's figures: 10-1-51-2. AFG-169/6 after 42 overs. They need 56 runs from 48 balls.
10:10 PM IST: Mohammed Shami on with his seventh over. A four to start the over as Najibullah Zadran plays past deep square leg fielder. Two wides, then two singles. Eight runs from the over. AFG-165/5 after 41 overs. They need 60 from 54 balls.
10:04 PM IST: Hardik Pandya returns. One busy over. Six runs -- two doubles and two singles. Good running between the wickets from Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran. AFG-157/5 after 40 overs. They need 68 from 60 balls.
9:59 PM IST: Mohammed Shami continues. Najibullah Zadran hits the fourth ball for a four, by lofting the ball over mid-off fielder. Eight runs from the over. AFG-151/5 after 39 overs. They need 74 runs from 66 balls.
9:54 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav on with his last over. Najibullah Zadran is trying everything -- reverse sweep, slog, defensive shot, but with limited success. Three from the over. Kuldeep's figures: 10-0-39-0, disappointing but not bad. AFG-143/5 after 38 overs. They need 82 runs from 72 balls.
9:51 PM IST: Mohammed Shami returns. Just three runs from his fifth over. AFG-140/5 after 37 overs. They need another 85 runs from 78 balls. 24 runs and a wicket in the last five overs' play.
9:45 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav on with his ninth over. Seven runs from the over -- two doubles and three singles. AFG-137/5.
It's OK! You have got your man. AP Photo
9:41 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal operating in tandem with Hardik Pandya. Mohammad Nabi hits the first ball for a four, to square leg boundary. But Chahal hits back with the wicket of former Afghan captain Asghar Afghan (8 off 19). Bowled. FoW-130/5 (34.6 overs). Najibullah Zadran is the new man. Afghanistan need 95 runs from 90 balls.
9:37 PM IST: Hardik Pandya continues. Four singles from his eighth over. AFG-125/4 after 34 overs. They need 100 runs from 96 balls.
9:33 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal on with his seventh over. Mohammad Nabi hits the last ball for a four through square. Five runs from the over. AFG-121/4 after 33 overs. They need another 104 runs.
9:29 PM IST: Hardik Pandya on with his seventh over. Six runs, including a wide at the start, from the over. Mohammad Nabi escapes thanks to indecision from Vijay Shankar and KL Rahul at deep cover, Nabi slashed the fifth ball hard but the ball ballooned and landed between the two fielders. AFG-116/4 after 32 overs.
9:22 PM IST: Virat Kohli sticks with Jasprit Bumrah. Three runs from Bumrah's seventh over. His figures so far: 7-1-22-2. BAN-110/4 after 31 overs. They need another 115 runs. Drinks.
9:18 PM IST: Hardik Pandya returns. A single off the first ball, then Mohammad Nabi eats up the remaining five deliveries. AFG-107/4 after 30 overs. They need another 118 more runs.
From gloom to bloom! It all changed in three balls, courtesy Bumrah. AP Photo
9:12 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah gets his first, courtesy a brilliant catch from Yuzvendra Chahal at fine leg. Rahmat Shah, who survived a very close LBW shout off the first ball, (36 off 63) is gone. #AFG106/3 (28.4 overs). A dot ball later, he gets he wicket of Hashmatullah Shahidi (21 off 45). Brilliantcaught and bowled. FoW-106/4 (28.6 overs). Asghar Afghan and Mohammad Nabi are the new men.
9:05 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav on with his eighth over. Two singles from it. AFG-106/2 after 28 overs. They need another 119 runs. 22 runs from the last five overs.
9:00 PM IST: Desperate for wickets, Virat Kohli brings Jasprit Bumrah into the attack. MS Dhoni misses out on a chance. Burmah manages to induce a faint edge off the fourth ball and the ball lands just short of Dhoni. Lucky Rahmat Shah. Six runs from the over. AFG-104/s after 27 overs.
8:56 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav continues. Afghanistan batsmen are dealing with him very well. Rahmat Shah picked the fourth ball for a four to deep mid-wicket. Seven runs from the over. #AFG-98/2 after 26 overs. They need another 127 more runs.
Tension in the middle! Desperate India seeking answers. AP Photo
8:52 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal continues. Hashmatullah Shahidi plays a delightful cover drive between two fielders for a four off the second ball, then a huge shout for stumping from MS Dhoni. Nothing for India from it. Backfoot firmly planted in the ground. Four runs from the over. AFG-91/2 after 25 overs. They need 134 more runs.
8:48 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav on with his sixth over. Three singles from it. AFG-87/2 after 24 overs. They need 138 more runs. Rahmat Shah (25 off 49) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (13 off 29) have added 23 runs in 43 balls.
8:45 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal returns. Very good over. Only one single from it. AFG-84/2 after 23 overs. 17 runs from the last five overs. They need 141 more runs.
8:41 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav continues. Hashmatullah Shahidi hits the second ball for a four to deep midwicket. Three more singles and seven runs from the over. AFG-83/2 after 22 overs. They need 142 more runs.
8:39 PM IST: Hardik Pandya on with his fifth over. Five runs from it, with Rahmat Shah hitting the last ball for a four over cover. AFG-76/2 after 21 overs. They need 149 runs.
8:34 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav continues. Four singles from his fourth over. AFG-71/2 after 20 overs. They need another 154 runs.
8:28 PM IST: Hardik Pandya on with his fourth over. A maiden over. And Rahmat Shah gets a body blow, with the well-directed last ball hitting the rib-case. AFG-67/2 after 19 overs. They need 158 more runs.
8:24 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav on with his third over. A single off the last ball. AFG-67/2 after 18 overs. They need 158 more runs.
Hardik, the man. Team India celebrates with the wicket-taker. AP Photo
8:20 PM IST: Hardik Pandya strikes. Gulbadin Naib (27 off 42) caught at midwicket by Vijay Shankar. A brilliant running catch for the 3-D player. FoW-64/2 (16.5 overs). Hashmatullah Shahidi is the new man. Five runs from the over. AFG-66/2 after 17 overs.
8:12 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav on with his second over. MS Dhoni goes for a swift stumping against Rahmat Sharh, off the second ball. Nothing from it. Yadav then beats Gulbadin Naib with a beauty. Just missing the off stump by a whisker. AFG-61/1 after 16 overs. Drinks.
8:08 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal continues. Very tidy over. Third successive one-run over. AFG-57/1 after 14 overs. They need 168 more runs.
8:05 PM IST: Another bowling change for India. Kuldeep Yadav, chinaman bowler, into the attack. One single from the over. AFG-56/1 after 14 overs.
8:02 PM IST: Quick over from Yuzvendra Chahal. A single off the first ball. AFG-55/1 after 13 overs.
7:59 PM IST: Hardik Pandya continues. Gulbadin Naib hits back-to-back fours off the third and fourth balls, both to deep mid-wicket. Afghanistan are targeting Pandya. 12 runs from the over. AFG-54/1 after 12 overs. They need 171 runs.
7:54 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal continues. Two dots, then Rahmat Shah plays a pull shot to deep mid-wicket for a four. Kuldeep Yadav's diving effort fails the save. Five runs from the over. AFG-42/1 after 11 overs. They need 183 runs.
7:51 PM IST: Double bowling change. Hardik Pandya, right-arm fast medium pacer, on. Rahmat Shah takes a single off the second ball, to third man. Gulbadin Naib faces two dots then a bouncer which beats everyone. Five wides. A dot then, Naib plays the last ball to fine leg for three runs. AFG-37/1 after 10 overs. They need 188 more runs.
7:46 PM IST: Bowling change for India. Virat Kohli introduces leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Three singles from it. AFG-29/1 after nine overs. They need 196 more runs.
7:43 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continues. Five runs from the over, including a three off the fifth ball. Gulbadin Naib plays it to mid-wicket and scamper for three runs. AFG-26/1 after eight overs. They need 199 more runs.
Rejoice! First wicket for Mohammed Shami in this World Cup. AP Photo
7:37 PM IST: Mohammed Shami on with his fourth over. A dot. Hazratullah Zazai takes a double off the second. Then, Shami cleans up. FoW-201/1 (6.3 overs). Zazai made 10 off 24. Rahmat Shah is the new man. Three runs from the over. #AFG-21/1 after seven overs.
7:30 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his third over. He continues to have a slip fielder in Virat Kohli. Two dots to Gulbadin Naib, then a double. A dot, then Bumrah induces a leading edge off Naib. But the Indian bowler's desperate attempt to reach to the ball fails. Two runs from the over. AFG-18/0 after six overs. They need another 207 runs.
7:25 PM IST: Mohammed Shami on with his third over. Hazratullah Zazai gets a single off the first ball, to mid-on. Gulbadin Naib faces three dots before getting two leg-byes. Four runs from the over. AFG-16/0 after five overs.
7:21 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continues. Lots of play and misses from left-handed Hazratullah Zazai. But he gets a streaky four, to fine leg, beating Virat Kohli at slip. Six runs from the over. AFG-12/0 after four overs. They need 213 more runs.
7:17 PM IST: Mohammed Shami continues. Three dots and India take a review for LBW against Hazratullah Zazai, at last moment. Negative as the ball pitches outside the line. India lose it. Marginal. Virat Kohli is not happy. Gets into an animated discussion with umpires. Maiden over. AFG-6/0 after three overs.
7:10 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah, right-arm medium fast bowler, shares the new ball with Mohammed Shami. A dot to Hazratullah Zazai, then four byes, beating everyone including MS Dhoni. Five runs from the over. AFG-6/0 after two overs. They need 219 runs.
7:06 PM IST: Mohammed Shami gets the new ball. Five dots to Hazratullah Zazai, then a single off the last ball. Good start for India. Gulbadin Naib is Zazai's opening partner.
INNINGS BREAK
6:40 PM IST: Yesterday, top-ranked England and hot favourites England were humbled by a spirited Sri Lankan side, and within 24 hours, India -- ranked second and another favourites -- got a reality check. Luckily, Virat Kohli & Co still have fifty overs to make amends.
So, what happened?
India won the toss and opted to bat. Then Indian top five perished to spin. Yes, spin. In their three wins, not a single batsman got out to spin. It soon became a trial by spin. In between, Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav hit fifties, helping India to a fighting total of 224/8. It seemed like India were push back in the time, in the nineties.
Will India blame the pitch? And now, it's a good time to remember what happened in the Asia Cup last year.
A picture is worth a thousand words. AP Photo
6:31 PM IST: Skipper Gulbadin Naib on with the last over of the innings. A double off the first ball as Kedar Jadhav plays it to long-on. With that Jadhav brings up his fifty in 64 balls. Meanwhile, injury concern for Afghanistan as Rashid Khan lands awkwardly going for the ball. A single, then Naib cleans up Mohammed Shami (1 off 2). FoW-222/7 (49.3 overs). Kuldeep Yadav is the new man. A single, then Naib gets his second. Jadhav (52 off 68) caught at cover by sub Noor Ali. Jasprit Bumrah is the new man. A single to end the innings. Five runs from the over. IND-224/8.
6:25 PM IST: Aftab Alam on with the penultimate over. Two singles and a double to fine leg as Hardik Pandya continues to seek his first boundary. Then caught behind. Pandya (7 off 9) plays a ramp shot but ends up offering a relatively easy catch to Ikram Ali Khil. FoW-217/6 (48.4 overs). Mohammad Shami is the new man. Six runs from the over. IND-219/6 after 49 overs.
6:19 PM IST: Gulbadin Naib on with his eighth over. Hardik Pandya is struggling to connect, and time his shots. Meanwhile, Kedar Jadhav changes his bat. Seven runs from the over. IND-213/5 after 48 overs.
6:14 PM IST: Rashid Khan on with his last over. Kedar Jadhav survives a stumping and an LBW decision, off the third and fifth balls. A wide from the over, that's all. Rashid's figure: 10-0-38-1. IND-206/5 after 47 overs. 27 runs and a wicket in the last five overs.
6:08 PM IST: Aftab Alam on with his sixth over. Kedar Jadhav hits the second ball for a four to short fine leg, then a six off the fifth ball. Single-handed shot, over long on. 11 runs from the over. IND_205/5 after 46 over.
Basking in the sun. Afghanistan enjoy a good outing in the field. AP Photo
6:03 PM IST: Rashid Khan on with ninth over. He gets the big wicket of MS Dhoni (28 off 52), stumped. Hardik Pandya is the new man. Two runs from the over. IND-194/5 after 45 overs.
5:58 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman finishes his spell. Two singles from his last over. His figures: 1/26. IND-192/4 after 44 overs.
5:54 PM IST: Kedar Jadhav hit the second ball for a four to fine leg, then MS Dhoni hit the fourth ball for another four over cover. 11 overs from the over. Meanwhile, Dhoni and Jadhav have added 55 runs in 75 balls. IND-190/4 after 43 overs.
5:49 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman on with his ninth over. Another brilliant over from the 18-year-old. Two singles. IND-179/ after 42 overs.
5:46 PM IST: Rashid Khan continues. Just two singles, off the third and sixth balls. MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav added 42 from 63 balls. IND-177/4 after 41 overs.
5:42 PM IST: Gulbadin Naib returns. Nine runs from the over, with MS Dhoni hitting the fourth ball for a four, through square leg. IND-175/4 after 40 overs.
5:38 PM IST: Rashid Khan on with his seventh over. Three singles from the over. IND-166/4 after 39 overs. MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav have added 31 runs from 51 balls, and are unbeaten on 16 off 32 and 18 off 35 respectively.
5:33 PM IST: Gulbadin Naib returns for his sixth over. MS Dhoni hits the first ball for four, through extra cover. Brute force. Seven runs from the over. IND-163/4 after 38 overs. 20 runs from the last five overs for India.
5:28 PM IST: Rashid Khan on with his fifth over. Four dots, then Kedar Jadhav finally breaks the shackle with a sweep shot for a four off the fifth ball. Four runs from the over. IND-156/4 after 37 overs.
5:22 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues. Just a single, off the fourth ball, from the over. Ikram Ali Khil claims for MS Dhoni's wicket, caught behind? But umpire doesn't move. And Afghanistan have already wasted their review. #IND-152/4 after 36 overs. Drinks.
5:19 PM IST: Mohammad Nabi on with his ninth over. Five singles from it. IND-151/4 after 35 overs.
5:15 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman returns. And he still rules. Three singles from the over. IND-146/4 after 34 overs. 18 runs and that wicket of Virat Kohli in the last five overs.
5:11 PM IST: Mohammad Nabi on with his eighth over. Five runs from it, a double and three singles. IND-134/4 after 33 overs. MS Dhoni is on five off 20.
5:08 PM IST: Rahmat Shah on with his fifth wicket. Two runs from the over. IND_138/4 after 32 overs.
Mohammad Nabi and Virat Kohli exchanging looks. AP Photo
5:05 PM IST: Huge wicket. Mohammad Nabi had Virat Kohli (67 off63) caught at point by Rahmat Shah. Kohli failed to control his shot and ended up getting a thick edge. FoW-135/4 (30.3 overs). Kedar Jadhav is the new man. Three runs from the over. IND-136/4 after 31 overs.
4:59 PM IST: Change of ends for Rahmat Shah. Virat Kohli plays the first ball through cover for a double. A dot, then a single. Outside edge. A dot then a single for MS Dhoni, to long-on. Another single to end the over. Five runs from it. IND-133/3 after 30 overs.
4:56 PM IST: Mohammad Nabi on with his sixth over. Just three singles from it. IND-128/3 after 29 overs. Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni unbeaten on 62 off 57 and 2 off 13.
4:53 PM IST: Rashid Khan, who leaked more than 100 runs against England, is toying with Indian greats. A single off the first ball, then MS Dhoni settles for five dots. IND-125/3 after 28 overs. 20 runs and a wicket in the last five overs.
The look says it all. AP Photo
4:49 PM IST: Rahmat Shah continues. And third Indian wicket to spin today, and the tournament. India reviewed but lost as it returned as umpire's call, clipping the left stump. MS Dhoni is the new man. Two runs from the over. IND-124/2 after 27 overs.
4:43 PM IST: Rashid Khan on with his fourth over. Three singles from the first five balls, then Virat Kohli whips the last ball for a four to fine leg. Delightful. Seven runs from the over. IND-122/2 after 26 overs.
4:39 PM IST: Rahmat Shah continues. Vijay Shankar hits a classical inside out four, and fifty-run stand with Virat Kohli in 61 balls. Six runs from the over. IND-115/2 after 25 overs.
4:35 PM IST: Rashid Khan on with his third over. Four runs -- a double and two singles -- from the over. IND-109/2 after 24 overs.
4:32 PM IST: Bowling change for Afghanistan. Rahmat Shah, leg spinner, on. Vijay Shankar hits the first ball for a four, to long off. Three singles to end the over. Seven runs it. IND-105/2 after 23 overs. 30 runs from the last five overs.
Record Alert! Virat Kohli equals Mohammad Azharuddin's (1992) Indian record of three successive fifties by a skipper in the World Cup.
4:29 PM IST: Rashid Khan continues. Two dots, then Virat Kohli pushes the third ball to long-off for a double. Kohli pushing Vijay Shankar for the second. A single and third consecutive fifty for the skipper, in 48 balls. This is his 52nd ODI half-century. Another double, to long-on. A wide. Seven runs from the over. IND-98/2 after 22 overs.
4:25 PM IST: Mohammad Nabi on with his fifth over. One busy over. Five singles from it. IND-91/2 after 21 overs. Virat Kohli on 47 off 44 balls. Vijay Shankar on 10 off 19.
4:21 PM IST: Bowling change. Rashid Khan, leg-spinner, on. Virat Kohli welcomes him with an outlandish cover drive. Four runs. A single, then an LBW review against Vijay Shankar. Huge inside edge and Afghanistan lose their review. Seven runs from the over. IND-86/2 after 20 overs.
4:17 PM IST: Mohammad Nabi resumes the proceedings after Drinks. Indian batsmen happy with singles, five of those from Nabi's fourth over. IND-789/2 after 19 overs.
4:11 PM IST: Gulbadin Naib on with his fifth over. Two singles from it, off the second and fifth balls. IND-75/2 after 18 overs. 16 runs and a wicket in the last five overs. Drinks.
4:08 PM IST: Another brilliant over from Mohammad Nabi. Singles off the first and fifth balls. IND-73/2 after 17 overs. India will need some digging in here.
4:04 PM IST: Gulbadin Naib continues. Five runs from the over -- four singles and a wide. IND-71/2 after 16 overs. Virat Kohli is on 34 off 26 balls.
Ouch! You paid the price. Mohammad Nabi celebrates KL Rahul's fall. AP Photo
3:59 PM IST: KL Rahul (30 off 53) throws away his wicket. Gone trying to reverse sweep. Caught at short third man by Hazratullah Zazai. Wicket to Mohammad Nabi. FoW-64/2 (14.2 overs). Vijay Shankar is the new man. Two singles from the over. IND-66/2 after 15 overs.
3:55 PM IST: Another good over from Gulbadin Naib. Five runs from it -- a double and three singles. IND-64/1 after 14 overs. Indian have added 28 runs in the last five overs.
3:51 PM IST: Another bowling change. Mohammad Nabi, offspinner, on. Brilliant start from Nabi. Three singles and a wide. IND-59/1 after 13 overs. And 52-run stand for KL Rahul and Virat Kohli.
Captains on a collision course. AP Photo
3:47 PM IST: Gulbadin Naib continues. KL Rahul takes a single off the second ball, then Virat Kohli gets a double, courtesy a misfield from the Afghans. A wide, and two more singles. Six runs from the over. IND-55/1 after 12 overs.
3:43 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman on with his sixth over, on the trot. Virat Kohli hits the last ball for a four past short fine leg. Eight runs from the over. IND-49/1 after 11 overs.
3:40 PM IST: Bowling change for Afghanistan. Skipper Gulbadin Naib, right-arm medium pacer, introduces himself into the attack. Virat Kohli plays a sublime cover drive off the first ball, but gets only three runs. Two more singles and five runs from the over. IND-41/1 after 10 overs.
3:35 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues. Singles off the last two balls after KL Rahul negotiated with the first four. IND-36/1 after nine overs.
3:32 PM IST: Aftab Alam on with his fourth over, and Virat Kohli shows his class. Two sublime strokes, off the fourth and fifth balls, for fours. 14 runs from the over. IND-34/1 after eight overs.
3:27 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman on with his fourth over. KL Rahul takes a single off the third ball, then another off the next ball as Virat Kohli plays it to long on. Just two runs from the over. IND-20/1 after seven overs.
3:23 PM IST: Aftab Alam continues. KL Rahul hits he second and fifth balls for fours. Nine runs from the over. IND-18/1 after six overs.
Early celebration for Afghans. AP Photo
3:19 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the youngest player in the tournament, gets the wicket of the one of world's best batsman. Rohit Sharma (1 off 10) bowled. FoW-7/1 (4.2 overs). Virat Kohli is the new man. Two runs from the over. IND-9/1 after five overs.
3:16 PM IST: Aftab Alam continues and a maiden over to KL Rahul. This is brilliant start from the Afghans -- bowling well, not trying anything extravagant, and fielders supporting the bowlers. IND-7/0 after four overs.
3:12 PM IST: One very quick over from Mujeeb Ur Rahman. A single off the first ball, then five dot balls to Rohit Sharma. Rohit loves to bid his time. And he's doing just that. IND-7/0 after three overs.
3:09 PM IST: Aftab Alam, right-arm fast medium pacer, shares the new ball with Mujeeb Ur Rahman. After two dot balls, KL Rahul plays through the gap at cover area for a couple. Another couple off the last ball, to midwicket. Three runs from the over. IND-6/0 after two overs.
Marquee or not, Indian fans are everywhere. AP Photo
3:04 PM IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the youngest player in the tournament starts the proceedings with his offbreaks. KL Rahul takes a single off the second ball. Rohit Sharma takes two balls to open his account, with a single. Then another single, off the fifth ball. IND-3/0.
2:40 PM IST: As expected, one forced change for India. Afghanistan have a couple of changes.
India: Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib (c), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
2:34 PM IST: India win the toss and bat first.
2:28 PM IST: According to Ramiz Raja, the pitch is a beauty, if you are from the sub-continent. Good batting pitch which will have enough help for spinners. But it will not be a dust bowl. His advice is, see off the initial overs.
2:21 PM IST: Virat Kohli is on the verge of becoming the fastest to reach 20,000 international runs.
1:42 PM IST: India are sure to make a forced change, with Mohammed Shami coming in for injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar. For Afghanistan, more than a couple of changes is expected.
Likely XIs are here
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
Afghanistan: Noor Ali Zadran, Gulbadin Naib (c), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Ikram Ali Khil, Aftab Alam, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
1:35 PM IST: Indian team has reached the venue.
What will India do to a disjointed and demoralised side? India's ruthlessness has been on full display in their previous outings against South Africa, defending champions Australia and arch-rivals Pakistan. Their third match was however washed out, forcing Virat Kohli & Co to share the spoils with New Zealand.
Also Read: How To Watch India Vs Afghanistan Match Live
Now, after toying with Pakistan, they face clueless Afghans, who have got everything in this tournament wrong -- never-ending defeats, the rift between the players and difference between an outgoing coach and the cricket board.
India indeed have their areas of concerns, with opener Shikhar Dhawan leaving the tournament mid-way thanks to a broken thumb, hamstrung pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar still recuperating and scare over all-rounder Vijay Shankar's availability after being ‘yorked’ by a Jasprit Bumrah toe-crusher. Mohammed Shami will play his first match of the World Cup today.
A STEP CLOSER
But the bench-strength of the second-ranked ODI team is so strong that the absence of a couple of regulars hardly makes a dent. And that will be proven true when they enter the field to take on Afghanistan today.
A win against Afghanistan will be a step closer to the semis, and India sure take the match as one of the fixtures which they need to win to make the campaign a memorable one. That's where the trouble lies for the Afghans. India will be relentless.
For Afghanistan, the campaign has been a doomed one from the start. They were drawn against the most dominating side in the World Cup, Australia. They have become the punching bag for every other team, and have lost all their five previous outings.
Having joined the elite, a good showing was expected from the most improved side in the world. But the proud Afghans have conspired amongst themselves -- both on and off the field -- to make the campaign a forgettable one.
But as witnessed in that 2018 Asian Cup last-over tie last year, Afghanistan have got the wherewithal to shock the best in the world. From a truly sporting perspective, everybody will love to see them giving India a tough fight, irrespective of the result. If they manage to pull off an improbable win, even better, as it would serve the game well. .
Key Facts
India and Afghanistan are meeting for the first time in the ICC Cricket World Cup. This will be their third meeting in ODIs, with India winning the first encounter (2014) whilst the second meeting ending in a tie (2018).
If India win, they will become the third team after Australia (67 wins in 90 matches) and New Zealand (52 wins in 83 matches) to complete a half-century of wins in World Cup.
India come into this match having registered victories in 14 of their last 15 World Cup matches. India’s last defeat was a 95-run humbling from Australia in the 2015 tournament.
Virat Kohli (764) needs another 97 runs to move into the third spot on the list for most World Cup runs for India. Mohammad Azharuddin (826), Virender Sehwag (843) and Rahul Dravid (860) are just ahead of him.
Kohli has scored more ODI runs than any other batsman in the world since the start of 2016 (4,189), averaging 83.8 across those 64 knocks in that time.
Rohit Sharma has registered scores of 140, 57 and 122 not out in his three knocks at the 2019 World Cup. Overall he has averaged 72 across his 11 knocks in World Cup matches -- the best rate for any India player who has more than two World Cup innings.
Just nine of 168 legal balls bowled by Kuldeep Yadav at this tournament have been struck for a boundary (5.4%) -- the lowest rate for any bowler who has bowled a minimum of 150 deliveries in this World Cup.
Mohammed Shami's average of 17.3 in the World Cup is the best among Indian bowlers, who have picked up at least 10 wickets in the competition.
Rashid Khan conceded 110 runs in nine overs in Afghanistan's previous match against England, which is the worst bowling performance in World Cup and joint second worst in ODIs.
Ten different players have hit a six for Afghanistan in this tournament. No other team has as many players to hit a six so far.
Aftab Alam, who was dropped for the previous game, averages of 21.3, the best for an Afghanistan pacer in ODIs since 2018.
Key Quotes
"We've got a lot of faith in ourselves, we've got a good balance. We are not worried about the changes. The people who come in as replacements are also equally good and they can take care of the situations," India bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
"I am not thinking too much about that match [against England]. People forget 10 good days and conveniently remember that one particularly bad day. They don't like to remember what Rashid did on [the] previous 10 days," Afghanistan bowler Rashid Khan.
Squads
India: Virat Kohli (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav
Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (c), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah (wk), Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Ikram Ali Khil
