One of the tighter games of the 2019 World Cup was
India vs. Afghanistan, but Rohit Sharma’s scorching century made sure there
wouldn’t be a rematch in 2023. The game was declared over in the first 10 or so
overs of the chase after Rohit, who surpassed Sachin Tendulkar for the most
hundreds at the ODI World Cup, attacked all Afghanistan bowlers, turning a
potentially difficult chase of 273 into a cakewalk that increased the net run
rate. With 15 over remaining, India cruised to an eight-wicket victory thanks
to a half-century from Virat Kohli.
India’s top order, including Rohit, suffered a
colossal failure against Australia as the hosts were reduced to 2 for 3. Rohit
would make sure that didn’t happen again today. Rohit’s first boundary came
after a slow start to the innings and the floodgates unleashed. Fazalhaq
Farooqi was hit over long-off for a six and a few fours. In his next Farooqi
over, Rohit delivered a duplicate performance by accelerating to a quick
half-century, which he brought up with a boundary, off just 27 balls. By the
end of the powerplay, India had rolled along to 94, the highest score of this
tournament, after a few more sixes and a boundary.
Ishan Kishan was content to be a sidekick at the other
end, so Rohit relaxed his arms. The spinners weren’t exempt either;
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman gave the opener three boundaries in four deliveries, and
before the 18th over was done, the unavoidable Rohit hundred had been reached.
It was the quickest run by an Indian at an ODI World Cup, coming in 63 balls;
Rohit setting the record was not at all unexpected.
At the other end, Rashid Khan removed Ishan Kishan,
but Rohit continued to run with Kohli for some time. Although India merely
needed to go through the motions at this point, Rashid, who entered the game to
bowl later than his team may have required him, eventually cleaned him up with
a flipper for 131. When Kohli tonked the winning shot back down the ground,
that net session and India’s victory were already over because his knock hardly
constituted anything more than batting practise.
Afghanistan had won the toss and chosen to bat first,
however they played an excessive amount of dot balls throughout much of their
innings, with only the occasional boundary. Despite Mohammad Siraj being
brought in for some touch, Jasprit Bumrah continued to be difficult to dismiss,
conceding 76 runs in nine overs. With the cheap falls of openers Rahmanullah
Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah to Shardul Thakur’s golden arm,
Afghanistan is left teetering at 63 for 3.
The 121-run partnership between Shahidi and Omarzai
rendered the spinners mainly ineffective and compelled Rohit to call the quicks
back earlier than he might have preferred. But once Hardik Pandya finished off
Omarzai with an off cutter, everything started to go wrong. As a result of
Mohammad Nabi’s knock of 19 off 27 robbing Afghanistan of momentum rather than
providing it any, the men that came after him were unable to fully regain control.
Rashid, Mujeeb, and Naveed were left to play cutesy
cameos that helped raise the score to the 272 they were able to achieve, but as
Rohit made sure, it was ultimately much too little.