[Watch] Virat Kohli enthusiastically cheers for his teammates from dressing room during IND vs AFG 2024 T20 World Cup clash
Indian stalwart Virat Kohli cheered enthusiastically for his teammates from the dressing room during the first innings of the 2024 T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan on Thursday (June 20). The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, hosted the match.
Team India batted first after winning the toss. World No. 1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav stood tall on a tricky surface and played a magnificent knock of 53 (28) to take his side to 181 in 20 overs. Hardik Pandya (32) complemented him well with a valuable contribution in the middle-order, while Axar Patel finished the innings with a cameo of 12 (6).
Virat Kohli got a start as he scored run-a-ball 24 before perishing without converting it into a big knock. However, he was spotted cheering and clapping passionately for his teammates from the dressing room after his dismissal.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) shared a video on their official Instagram handle to give fans a glimpse of Virat Kohli's reactions to some of the key moments that unfolded during the first innings of the match.
You can watch the video below:
Jasprit Bumrah and company help India beat Afghanistan by 47 runs in Super 8 match of 2024 T20 World Cup
Afghanistan started positively in the chase of 182 as they scored 13 runs in the first over. Jasprit Bumrah (3/7) then derailed their inning with twin strikes in successive overs. Axar Patel also joined in and delivered a wicket-maiden in the fifth over to reduce the Afghan side to 23/3.
Azmatullah Omarzai (26), Najibullah Zadran (19), Gulbadin Naib (17), and Mohammad Nabi (14) got starts, but none of them could kick on and score big, which hurt their team's chances. Afghanistan eventually got all out for 134 in 20 overs and lost by 47 runs.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma reflected on the win at the post-match presentation, saying (via ESPNCricinfo):
"It was a great effort from the batters to get 181 and then obviously we knew about the class off our bowlers. Absolutely everyone coming up and doing the job is critical for us. Each one if they can play their role. Surya and Hardik's partnership was very crucial for us. They batted deep and took us to that score."
Applauding Jasprit Bumrah, he continued:
"We know what Bumrah can do for us. It's important for us to use him smartly. He is the one who is ready to take the responsibilities as it is not easy for a strike bowler to hold him back."