 "T20 World Cup: India begin Super 8s with clinical victory over Afghanistan in Barbados")
India were off to a winning start in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup with a 47-run hammering of Afghanistan in Barbados, extending their unbeaten run in the tournament as a result.
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The Men in Blue dished out an all-round display against the Afghans after skipper Rohit Sharma opted to field, with Suryakumar Yadav top-scoring with a 28-ball 53, bringing up his second fifty on the trot and his 19th overall in T20Is in just 27 deliveries.
He was well supported by India vice-captain Hardik Pandya, who scored 32 off 24 balls and was the only other batter besides SKY to cross 30 on Thursday. The two stitched a 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket that played a key role in helping India go past 180 on a wicket that was a bit slower than expected, where skipper Rohit Sharma had been dismissed for 8.
Afghanistan were off to a shaky start in reply, getting reduced to 23/3 with Jasprit Bumrah striking twice inside the powerplay. The trio of Gulbadin Naib (17), Azmatullah Omarzai (26) and Najibullah Zadran (19) briefly revived Afghanistan’s hopes with meaningful contributions in the middle overs.
None of the three, however, was able to play the long innings and take the game deep as the Afghans crumbled quickly once the Indians had dismissed the three middle-order batters.
Jasprit Bumrah finished the pick of the bowlers with outstanding figures of 3/7. Arshdeep Singh also collected a three-for that included the wickets of Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq in successive deliveries in the 18th over. He dismissed Noor Ahmad in the final delivery of the innings, resulting in Afghanistan getting bowled out for 134.
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