What happened the last time India played against Afghanistan in West Indies?
Team India will begin their Super 8 stage with a clash against Afghanistan at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday, June 20. The Men in Blue have been clubbed alongside Australia, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in this stage of the T20 World Cup 2024.
India won their first three Group A fixtures to book their place in the Super 8, while their final league game against Canada in Florida was washed out. Afghanistan, on the other hand, finished second in Group C with three wins from four matches. Their only defeat in the group stage came against co-hosts West Indies.
As both teams prepare for the important Super 8 clash, we revisit the last India and Afghanistan locked horns in a T20 World Cup match in the Caribbean Islands. It was the third match of Group C at Gros Islet. The Men in Blue were dominant right from the start and won the game comprehensively by seven wickets.
Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bowl first and the decision reaped rewards from the beginning. Ashish Nehra struck in the second over to dismiss Karim Sadiq for a four-ball duck before returning in the fourth over to get the better of wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Shahzad.
Reeling at 22/2, the Afghans desperately needed a partnership to rebuild the innings. However, it wasn't meant to be. Dhoni introduced left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in the final over of the powerplay, who struck immediately to reduce Afghanistan to 29/3.
With the odds stacked up heavily against them, opener Noor Ali Zadran (50) found an able ally in Asghar Afghan (30) to bail the team out of danger. Although they added 68 runs for the fourth wicket, they consumed a lot of deliveries. Thus, the lower order was left with the task of accumulating quick runs but Indian bowlers executed well to contain Afghanistan to 115/8 in 20 overs.
Nehra was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 3/19 from four overs, while Praveen Kumar chipped in with two scalps. Zaheer Khan and Jadeja accounted for one wicket each.
Murali Vijay's patient knock guides India home against Afghanistan
The run chase wasn't as smooth as expected as India lost seasoned opener Gautam Gambhir in the fourth over. The southpaw was caught by Mohammad Nabi at the cover point of Dawlat Ahmadzai's bowling while trying to play one over the 30-yard circle.
However, Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina took control of the run chase and added 27 runs for the second wicket. Just when it looked like this pair would carry the Men in Blue home, Samiullah Shinwari trapped Raina in front to produce a breakthrough for the Afghans.
Yuvraj Singh then joined Vijay in the middle and the pair stitched together a 55-run partnership to take India close to the victory line. Vijay got out two runs short of his half-century while trying to dispatch a low full toss and could only manage to find the long-on fielder. The right-handed batter struck two boundaries and three sixes for his 46-ball 48.
The Men in Blue legends, Yuvraj and Dhoni, saw the team through with 31 balls to spare and seven wickets in hand.