Afghanistan had a mountain to climb and the Indian bowlers had a relatively easy task to achieve. In the end, it was the blue brigade who lit up Abu Dhabi to grab two crucial points with a monstrous win.
After bearing criticism for being mediocre against Pakistan and New Zealand, the Indian camp passed the tricky Afghan challenge with flying colours to register their first win of the T20 World Cup 2021. In a lop-sided Super-12 contest, Kohli and Co finally managed to open their tally and somehow stay alive in the tournament with a comfortable 66-run victory.
India also made a significant gain in the Net Run Rate (NRR) column. The Virat Kohli-led camp is now fourth in the Group 2 standings with a positive 0.073 NRR. Pakistan (8 points), Afghanistan (4 points), and New Zealand (4 points) are the top three sides at the moment.
Openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul looked like their old self, adding a staggering 140-run opening stand in Abu Dhabi. Rohit (74 off 47 deliveries) and KL Rahul (69 from 48 balls) tamed the Afghan bowling unit with fearless cricket before Hardik Pandya-Rishabh Pant pair took over the mantle. Hardik (35 no off 13 deliveries) and Pant (27 no off 13 balls) hammered 63 runs in 3.3 overs to take the total which looked beyond Afghanistan's reach.
Afghanistan, in response, were 59/4 at the halfway mark, with the result starting to look like a foregone conclusion. Ravichandran Ashwin made his presence felt, picking his first T20I scalp after a six-year hiatus. Street-smart Ashwin trapped Gulbadin before castling Najibullah, leaving the opposition tottering at 69/5 in 12th over.
Skipper Mohammad Nabi hit 35 and Karim Janat chipped in with an entertaining 22-ball 42 to help Afghanistan register a reputable 144/7 in 20 overs. Mohammed Shami was the pick of the Indian bowlers, picking three in his four overs. Ashwin also picked two while Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja picked a wicket each.
India play to their strength
India's tryst with the first six overs of the T20 World Cup 2021 wasn't a memorable one. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul finally broke the shackles with a fifty stand in the powerplay, hitting eight boundaries en route the fruitful opening stand.
On a wicket that looked like a belter, Rohit started off with an inside-out shot over extra cover, giving a glimpse of the forthcoming proceedings. Rahul also whacked a maximum over long-on in the second over to hint the opening duo's attacking mindset. Hardik and Pant did the rest towards the end to help India notch up a mammoth score.
The pair clocked 53/0, which was the Indian camp's highest batting powerplay score so far in the tournament. As if this wasn't enough, Rahul and Rohit went on to put up 140 runs on the board for the opening wicket, breaking 14-year long record held by Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. The Delhi batting pair was the last pair to record a century opening stand for India in a T20 World Cup.
On a track where the ball was gripping, Afghanistan captain Mohammed Nabi started with his off-breaks and introduced left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf from the other end. Rashid Khan came into the attack in the eight over but unable to pick a wicket on the night. By the time Rashid (0/36 in 4 overs) came for his final spell, Rohit and Rahul were competing to out-score each other.
The Rohit-Rahul opening show
This was India's second-highest T20I total and it was only the second instance of a team breaching the 200-run mark in Abu Dhabi. All credit goes to Rahul and Rohit.
The Rohit-Rahul duo now has four century stands in T20 Internationals, just one behind Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan's record of five century partnerships. The Indian pair's 140-run blitz is also the fourth-highest opening partnership in the history of the T20 World Cup.
A well-set Rohit could've added a few more runs under his belt but he picked out Mohammad Nabi. He perished after scoring 74. Rahul also departed soon. Batting on 69, he was castled by Gulbadin Naib in an attempt to scoop the delivery over short fine leg. India's punt to shift Rohit back to the top earned results, with the elegant opener making his fourth 50-plus score in the history of the T20 World Cup.
Rohit, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, highlighted the NRR factor before adding that his plan today was help his side get off to a good start.
"Getting to a respectable total was important, and the NRR could come into play so we had to win by a good margin, so glad we got that. Today it was necessary to get off to a good start, and that's not my natural game - I usually like to get in. So I made an effort to settle in, play cricketing shots, and put up a big total," he said in the post-match presentation.
