Asia Cup 2022: 5 records that were broken during India's big win against Afghanistan
India ended their Asia Cup 2022 campaign on a winning note. The Men in Blue crushed Afghanistan by 101 runs to finish third in the Super 4 points table.
Rohit Sharma decided to rest himself for the match against Afghanistan in Dubai on Thursday night. In his absence, KL Rahul led the Indian T20I team for the first time. Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal were also rested for this fixture.
Fans expected Afghanistan to give India a run for their money, especially after the way they almost pulled off a win against Pakistan on Wednesday night. However, the Mohammad Nabi-led outfit had an off-day in the office. Almost all Afghanistan players failed to make an impact as India cruised to victory.
Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were the two heroes for India. Kohli stole the show with a fantastic ton in the first innings, while Bhuvneshwar bowled a dream spell to bag five wickets in the second innings.
On that note, here's a look at the top five records broken by India during their win against Afghanistan.
#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar etched his name in history books
Asia Cup T20I was launched in 2016. The ongoing Asia Cup is the second edition to be played in the T20I format. Prior to the match between India and Afghanistan, no bowler had taken a five-wicket haul in an Asia Cup T20I match.
Shadab Khan held the record for the best bowling figures with 4/8 against Hong Kong in 2022. Bhuvneshwar Kumar made history on Thursday night with his spell of 5/4 against Afghanistan.
#2 Virat Kohli broke Mohammad Shahzad's 6-year-old record
The United Arab Emirates has hosted 223 T20I matches so far, the most by any nation in cricket history. Afghanistan's Mohammad Shahzad previously held the record for the best score in a T20I match hosted by the UAE. He scored 118 runs off 67 balls against Zimbabwe in 2016.
Virat Kohli broke his record with his unbeaten knock of 122. Kohli now owns the record for the highest individual score in a T20I in the UAE.
#3 India became the first team to touch 200-run mark in Asia Cup T20I
India register the first 200+ total in T20 Asia Cups.
As mentioned earlier, Asia Cup T20I started in 2016. In 28 matches played prior to the India vs Afghanistan clash, no team had managed to touch the 200-run mark. The highest team total was 193/2 scored by Pakistan against Hong Kong earlier this month.
India broke Pakistan's record with their total of 212/2 in 20 overs against Afghanistan on Thursday in the Asia Cup 2022.
#4 Virat Kohli broke Sanath Jayasuriya and Shoaib Malik's record
Most M.O.M Awards
76 - Sachin Tendulkar
58 - Virat Kohli*
58 - Sanath Jayasuriya
57 - Jacques Kallis
Most M.O.M Awards in Asia Cup
6 - Virat Kohli*
5 - Sanath Jayasuriya
5 - Shoaib Malik
#INDvsAFG https://t.co/gYlaT6G0jJ
Virat Kohli won the Player of the Match award in the Asia Cup 2022 match against Afghanistan. It was his sixth award in Asia Cup matches.
Virat is now the new owner of the record for most Player of the Match awards in Asia Cup history. He surpassed Sanath Jayasuriya and Shoaib Malik, who have won five each.
#5 Bhuvneshwar Kumar created a world record in Asia Cup 2022
Former Pakistan speedster Umar Gul, who is now Afghanistan's bowling coach, held the record for the least runs conceded by a fast bowler in a T20I innings when he took a five-wicket haul. Gul bowled a spell of 5/6 against New Zealand in 2009 and South Africa in 2013.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke his record with a spell of 5/4 against Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2022. Among full member teams, Kumar is the only pacer to concede less than five runs in a T20I innings, and take five wickets.