In a significant breakthrough moment during Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup clash against India, captain Rashid Khan claimed the prized wicket of Virat Kohli. Kohli, who had been playing confidently, replicating his impressive six from the T20 World Cup 2022 against Haris Rauf, had to walk back to the pavilion after scoring 24 runs off 24 balls.
The dismissal came in the 9th over when Rashid Khan delivered a flighted leg-break on the fuller side outside off. Kohli, attempting to stay on the leg side of the ball, aimed to lift it over the covers. However, he mistimed the shot and ended up playing it too straight, hitting it directly to Mohammad Nabi at long-off. Nabi, positioned near the boundary, took a straightforward catch to remove India’s key player.
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Earlier in the game, the responsibility was on captain Rohit Sharma to provide India with a solid start, but he failed to meet expectations, continuing his poor form in the tournament. Sharma had begun his campaign positively with a match-winning fifty against Ireland but has since struggled. He was dismissed for just 13 runs against Pakistan and only managed 3 runs against the USA.
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Despite Sharma’s failures, India managed to secure victories against Pakistan and the USA, earning their place in the Super 8s. However, all eyes were on Sharma for the crucial game against Afghanistan, especially after he won the toss and chose to bat first.
Unfortunately, he could not justify his decision, scoring only 8 runs off 13 balls before being dismissed by left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi in the third over. His continued poor performance led to a barrage of criticism from fans.
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At the time of writing, India is at 126/4, having just lost the aggressive Shivam Dube. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are now at the crease, trying to steady the innings and boost India’s score. The duo’s performance will be crucial in setting a competitive total against Afghanistan.
