India vs Afghanistan Highlights, 2024 T20 World Cup: 3 moments that generated buzz among fans in Match 43 ft. Suryakumar Yadav
A clinical performance from Team India across departments saw them comfortably thump Afghanistan in their T20 World Cup Super 8 fixture in Barbados on Thursday, June 20. The Men in Blue secured a win and the two points with a massive 47-run margin.
Skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first, believing the pitch would slow down as the game progressed. The pitch was already on the slower side and the Men in Blue were in a spot of bother before Suryakumar Yadav (53 off 38) and Hardik Pandya (32 off 24) formed a crucial partnership and helped them post 181/7 in their 20 overs.
The target always seemed a bit above par and Afghanistan got no momentum whatsoever in their innings, losing wickets at regular intervals. They ended up getting bowled out for just 134, handing India a huge win.
On that note, let's take a look at the three moments from the game that grabbed the attention of fans on social media:
#1 Virat Kohli's six off Naveen-ul-Haq
While Virat Kohl could only manage a run-a-ball 24 against Afghanistan, he gave his fans a moment to savor with his first six of the T20 World Cup. Naveen-ul-Haq bowled a slower delivery into the pitch and Kohli held his shape before flat-batting it straight over the bowler's head for a six.
Fans immediately remembered Kohli's heroic 82* against Pakistan in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, where he had played a similar shot off Haris Rauf. The moment has been etched forever in Indian cricketing folklore. The two shots were a lot similar and it was perhaps fitting that Virat Kohli got going with that iconic six.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav taking on Rashid Khan
Star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan had a wonderful outing with the ball. He picked up the big wickets of Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli and had two new batters at the crease in Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav. However, Suryakumar showed why he is the No.1 ranked T20I batter as instead of playing out Rashid, he decided to counter-attack.
Suryakumar played a series of sweep shots which led to a couple of boundaries and also a six over square leg. Those 14 runs off three balls injected momentum into India's innings. A bit later, the duo were seen having a friendly banter at the non-striker's end which showed just how sporting a camaraderie they had.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah outfoxing Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Speaking to ICC ahead of the game, Afghanistan's explosive opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz had claimed that he would play his shots fearlessly if the ball was in his area, be it Jasprit Bumrah or any other Indian bowler at the other end. Gurbaz walked the talk as he smashed a six and a four off the first over of the chase from Arshdeep Singh.
However, it took Jasprit Bumrah just two balls to deliver the breakthrough as he was a step ahead of the opener in terms of planning and execution. Bumrah bowled a length ball but took all the pace off it and the ball gripped a bit into the slow surface.
Gurbaz went for a lofted drive over the covers but was early in his shot as Rishabh Pant completed a simple catch. While Afghanistan did have other capable batters, Gurbaz doing well at the top was key for them chasing the total and that wicket was another pivotal moment where India gained control of the match. Fans hailed Bumrah for his mind-boggling figures of 3/7 off his four overs.