Team India and Afghanistan are currently competing in their first Super 8s match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The game is taking place at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, won the toss and chose to bat first on a pitch that was slow and two-paced.
Unfortunately, Rohit could not lead from the front, managing only 8 runs from 13 balls. He struggled with timing right from the start and was dismissed by Fazalhaq Farooqi in the third over. Following Rohit’s early departure, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant tried to stabilize the innings with a 43-run partnership.
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Both batsmen got off to promising starts but couldn’t convert them into substantial scores. Rashid Khan broke their partnership by dismissing Pant for 20, and then he sent Kohli back to the pavilion for 24, reducing India to 62 for 3. Shivam Dube’s poor form with the bat continued, as he was out for just 10 runs.
After Dube’s dismissal, Hardik Pandya joined Suryakumar Yadav at the crease, and the pair worked to steady India’s innings. During this tense period, a lighthearted moment between Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan caught the viewers’ attention.
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The incident occurred in the 14th over when Rashid, while bowling to his former Gujarat Titans teammate, pulled out of his run-up but continued to run towards Pandya while rolling his arms. He even pretended to throw the ball at Pandya. The cameras captured Pandya staring at Rashid with a wide grin, showcasing the camaraderie between the two former IPL teammates despite the high-pressure situation.
— Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) June 20, 2024
At the time of writing, India was at 165 for 6 in the 19th over. Suryakumar Yadav had already departed after scoring an impressive 53 runs, and Hardik Pandya soon followed him back to the pavilion with a solid 32 off 24 balls. The team is now relying on its lower order to finish the innings on a strong note and set a challenging target for Afghanistan.
