Asia Cup 2022: India player ratings vs Afghanistan as Virat Kohli masterclass takes Men in Blue to consolation win
Virat Kohli struck an astonishing century as Team India finished the 2022 Asia Cup on a high, beating Afghanistan by a whopping 101 runs at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, September 8.
Kohli had support from opening partner KL Rahul, who hit a fluent fifty. Bhuvneshwar Kumar joined in on the fun after India posted a massive 212, scalping five wickets. With the victory over a tired Afghanistan side, the Men in Blue managed to avoid the wooden spoon.
Here are India's player ratings from their final Asia Cup encounter against Afghanistan.
Asia Cup 2022: Kohli steals the show; Bhuvi bowls stunning spell
KL Rahul: 8.5/10
Rahul started a touch cautiously but managed to make up for it, striking a fluent fifty (62 off 41) at a 150-plus strike rate.
Like his opening partner, he was in for a big score, one that he missed out on. But India's stand-in captain had a great outing at a time when he was under serious pressure.
Virat Kohli: 10/10
No superlatives can describe Kohli's innings against Afghanistan. He smashed his maiden century in T20I cricket after a painful wait, taking the attack to both pace and spin with effortless ease.
Batting of the highest order was on display in Dubai as the 33-year-old plundered 12 fours and six sixes during the course of his unbeaten 122-run knock off 61 balls.
Suryakumar Yadav: 3/10
A cheeky first-ball six kindled the hopes of another fiery cameo, but Suryakumar chopped one onto his stumps on the very next ball.
The mode of dismissal was a touch concerning, with a pattern appearing to emerge, but SKY should be able to work through his issues.
Rishabh Pant: 5/10
Pant's 20-run knock was scored off 16 balls, but he had to negotiate three overs from Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman and had a rampaging Kohli at the other end. He was content to watch as his former skipper carted Afghanistan all over the ground.
Deepak Hooda: 7/10
Hooda didn't get to bat as India lost only two wickets, but he finally rolled his arm over in the Asia Cup. He scalped a wicket off his first ball.
Dinesh Karthik: 5/10
Karthik wasn't needed with the bat either, but made a surprise appearance with the ball. It went as well as one would expect a wicketkeeper's over to go as he conceded two sixes.
Axar Patel: 7/10
Axar bowled four tidy overs for 24 runs, not picking up a wicket. He had one catch to show for.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 10/10
If Kohli demolished Afghanistan in the first innings, Bhuvneshwar took over in the second. Setting the batters up with ease, the swing bowler recorded a magnificent five-wicket haul (five for four) and had the opposition top order on strings throughout.
Deepak Chahar: 6/10
Like Axar, Chahar went wicketless in fairly helpful conditions. He conceded only three boundaries but found himself finishing the game as India's most expensive bowler.
Ravichandran Ashwin: 6/10
Ashwin picked up the wicket of Mujeeb, but might've been disappointed at conceding two fours and a six to the Afghan tail-ender. He recorded figures of 1/27.
Arshdeep Singh: 7/10
Arshdeep bowled only two overs against Afghanistan, trapping Mohammad Nabi in front. The young pacer has had a topsy-turvy competition but he and his team will be happy to end on a high.