(CMC) – World No. 1 India made a bright start to the Super Eight of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup yesterday after Suryakumar Yadav bullied his way to a half-century and their bowlers, led by the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah, powered them to a 47-run win against Afghanistan.
Yadav hit five fours and three sixes in 53 from 28 balls – his 19th in the format on the international stage – to earn the Player-of-the-Match award and helped the Indians fight their way to a respectable 181 for eight from their allocation of 20 overs after they decided to bat in the opening Group 1 match at Kensington Oval.
Bumrah then returned the remarkable figures of three for seven from his allotted four overs, and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh supported with three for 36 from four overs, and the Afghans were bowled out for 134 off the last ball of their reply.
“Two years ago, we’ve played T20Is here, so we understand the conditions and planned accordingly,” India captain Rohit Sharma said. “We adapted well and got 180, which was a great effort from the batters. We have class bowlers who defended it perfectly. Everyone came in and did their job, that’s critical, and we dwell on it.”
Afghanistan were 35 for three at the end of the Power-Play after Bumrah got prolific opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught behind for 11 in the second over, left-arm spinner Axar Patel got Ibrahim Zadran caught at extra cover for eight in the fourth over, before Hazratullah Zazai was caught at point off Bumrah for two.
Azmatullah Omarzai, whose 26 was the top score, came to the crease and put on 44 for the fourth wicket with Gulbadin Naib to stem the fall of wickets, but they fell either side of the drinks break at the halfway stage of the innings, and Afghanistan slumped to 71 for five.
The rest of the batting offered only token resistance, and the chase ran off the tracks with the last five wickets falling for 19 inside the final five overs of the innings – and the Afghans have now lost back-to-back matches after winning their first three.
“We knew we’d be chasing 160-170 given it was against a bigger team,” Afghanistan captain and champion leg-spinner Rashid Khan said. “We could’ve done it had we executed smarter.”
Earlier, Yadav shared a 60-run, fifth wicket stand with Hardik Pandya to breathe life into the Indian innings after they reached 47 for one at the end of the Power-Play before stumbling to 79 for three at the halfway stage of the innings.
When Khan trapped Shivam Dube lbw for 10 in the 11th over, India were 90 for four, but Pandya came to the crease and rescued them in tandem with Yadav.
Just when it appeared an explosive finish was in the making, Fazalhaq Farooqi, the tournament’s most successful bowler with 15 wickets so far, got Yadav caught at long-off in the 17th over, and India gifted a couple more wickets, including Hardik for 32, before the end of the innings.
Khan was the pick of his side’s bowlers, taking three for 26 from his four overs, and Farooqi ended with three for 33 from his four overs.
“A lot of hard work and practice has gone behind this knock,” Yadav said. “A lot of routine and process. I’m very clear about what to do when I go out. You need to know what the game plan is and keep the team first when you go out there.
“I remember when Hardik came in, I told him not to leave too much at the end, when the ball gets old and reverse swings. We just wanted to push the pedal, see where we could get to at 16 overs, and take it from there.”
India face Group D runners-up Bangladesh tomorrow morning at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua in their next match, while Afghanistan meet double crown world champions Australia on the day under the lights at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St Vincent.
Tonight, Kensington Oval will be the backdrop for a contest between the tournament co-hosts, the West Indies and the United States.
