4.5 overs (1 Run) On middle, on a good length, Ibrahim Zadran gets his bat out in front to defend. The ball rolls off the inner half of the bat to square leg for a single.
4.4 overs (0 Run) Bowls it into the wicket, on off, Ibrahim Zadran hangs on the back foot and dabs it along the ground to backward point.
4.3 overs (0 Run) A length delivery, around off, Ibrahim Zadran plays it with soft hands to point.
4.2 overs (0 Run) Beaten! Back of a length, going away, outside off, Ibrahim Zadran gets lured into the push away from the body and gets beaten on the outside edge.
4.1 overs (0 Run) Nails the yorker, on middle, Ibrahim Zadran gets his bat down in time and digs it out down the wicket.
3.6 overs (1 Run) Offers a bit of width outside off, full in length again, Ibrahim Zadran times the drive towards cover and takes a single.
3.5 overs (0 Run) Goes fullish in length, on off, Ibrahim Zadran gets on the front foot again and drives it towards cover.
3.4 overs (0 Run) A confident appeal for LBW but turned down! India are convinced and Rohit Sharma goes for the review. There were two sounds so the doubt was whether it hit the bat. There was no bat but guess what? It is missing the leg stump. Siraj hurls it full and on middle, Ibrahim Zadran plants his foot forward but fails to read the in-dipper and gets trapped right in front of the stumps. The UItraEdge shows that it was bat hitting the pad but the Ball Tracking shows the ball to be missing the leg stump. India lose their review.
3.3 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Easy pickings! A bit too straight by Siraj, on a length, on middle, Ibrahim Zadran allows the ball to come to him and rolls his wrists. Clips it through square leg for four more runs.
3.2 overs (0 Run) Delivers it full and near the tramline on off and tries to tempt the batter, Ibrahim Zadran does not take the bait and lets the ball go through to the keeper.
3.1 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! All class! Mohammed Siraj errs in line and goes full and on the pads, Ibrahim Zadran plays it under his eyes and brings his wrists into play. Flicks it wide of mid-wicket for a boundary.
2.6 overs (1 Run) Angling in again, on middle and leg, on a good length, Ibrahim Zadran whips it between mid-wicket and mid on for another single.
2.5 overs (1 Run) Rahmanullah Gurbaz is finally off the mark! Back of a length, on middle and leg, Rahmanullah Gurbaz drops it with soft hands in front of mid on and opens his account with a single.
2.4 overs (1 Run) Hurls it full this time, outside off, Ibrahim Zadran plants his foot forward and times the drive towards wide mid off. Hardik Pandya tumbles to his left and keeps it to a single.
2.3 overs (0 Run) Pacy delivery, on a hard length, just outside off, Ibrahim Zadran hangs on the back foot and tries to punch it through the off side. Gets hurried in his shot and the ball strikes on the upper half of the bat and goes to point.
2.2 overs (0 Run) Slants the ball back in, on a good length again, Ibrahim Zadran allows the ball to come to him and nudges it with the swing to mid-wicket.
2.1 overs (0 Run) At 138.9 kph, on a good length, shaping away, outside off, Ibrahim Zadran lifts his bat and is happy to let the ball pass.
1.6 overs (1 Run) Drags his length back and bowls it on off, Ibrahim Zadran prods forward to defend with soft hands. Gets an outside edge that rolls to third man for a single.
1.5 overs (0 Run) Pitched up again, on off, Ibrahim Zadran knocks it off the front foot towards mid on.
1.4 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! First runs off the bat for Ibrahim Zadran and Afghanistan! Siraj hurls it a bit too full, on off, Ibrahim Zadran presents the full face of the bat and pushes it down the ground. Gets it to the right of Hardik Pandya at mid off and collects a boundary.
1.3 overs (0 Run) Honing in, on the off stump line, fuller in length, Ibrahim Zadran gets forward and pushes it towards cover.
1.2 overs (0 Run) Beauty! Pitches it up and allows the ball to swing away,.outside off, Ibrahim Zadran is drawn forward and has a feel for the delivery. Lucky not to edge this one behind.
1.1 overs (0 Run) Starts with an away swinger, on a good length, outside off, Ibrahim Zadran takes a good stride forward and leaves the ball alone.
Mohammed Siraj to operate from the other end.
0.6 over (0 Run) Angles this one away, outside off, on a length, Rahmanullah Gurbaz advances again and dabs it towards point. A probing first over by Jasprit Bumrah.
0.5 over (0 Run) Goes full this time, swinging into the batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz steps out to negate the swing. Squeezes it out off the inner half of the bat to mid on.
0.4 over (0 Run) Shaping in again, much closer to off, on a good length, Rahmanullah Gurbaz accounts for the inward movement and lets the ball go past the off stump.
0.3 over (0 Run) Sharp movement! Bowls with an upright seam, short of a good length, on middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz camps back to defend. The ball jags back in and beats Gurbaz on the inside edge before catching him high on the back leg.
0.3 over (1 Run) WIDE! Afghanistan are underway with a wide! Goes for the booming inswinger but loses his radar and spills it down leg. Rahmanullah Gurbaz lets it go and KL Rahul moves quickly to his left to make a good stop.
0.2 over (0 Run) This is bowled on a shortish length, outside off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz covers his off stump and lets the ball go through to the keeper.
0.1 over (0 Run) On the money! Starts from over the wicket and lands it on a length, on off, a hint of away shape, Rahmanullah Gurbaz is half-forward and taps it towards cover.
Done with the pre-match proceedings and it is now time for the play to get underway as the bell is rung by Rohan Jaitley, the President of DDCA! The umpires and players have taken their places on the field and it will be the pair of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to open the innings for Afghanistan. Jasprit Bumrah has the new ball in hand and is ready to steam in. Let’s play…
We are inching closer to the start of the game but first, the players come out along with the mascots and line up for their respective national anthems. Before the national anthems, the teams observe a moment’s silence for those who have lost their lives and have been affected by the earthquake that hit Afghanistan recently. Moving on to the national anthems then and it will be Afghanistan’s national anthem first, followed by the national anthem of India.
Rohit Sharma, the captain of India says that they were looking to bat second as there is going to be dew but the wicket won’t change much and will now look to restrict the opposition. Adds that they were under pressure to start with the bat in the last game but the way Virat Kohli and KL Rahul played, gives them a lot of confidence. Mentions that they have made one change to the side with Shardul Thakur coming in for Ravichandran Ashwin.
Afghanistan’s skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi says that they will bat first. Adds that it looks like a good batting surface. Mentions that they have a good bowling attack to restrict India. Shares that they want to bounce back with the bat. Also says that they are enjoying their time here and are here to showcase their talent. Ends by informing that they are going with the same team as the last game.
Afghanistan (Unchanged Playing XI) – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
India (Playing XI) – Rohit Sharma (C), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur (In for Ravichandran Ashwin), Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
TOSS – The coin toss lands in the favour of Hashmatullah Shahidi and Afghanistan have opted to BAT first.
PITCH REPORT – Gautam Gambhir is pitchside. He says that the wicket looks like a belter and the batters will enjoy playing on it. Sanjay Manjrekar joins him and says that the average score here was around 230 but on this wicket that isn’t going to be the case. Gambhir adds that if India bat first, they should get at least 350.
On the flip side, Afghanistan suffered a defeat in their campaign opener against Bangladesh in picturesque Dharamsala. A flop show with the bat meant that they were rolled over for just 156 inside 50 overs. This modest total was never going to be enough against the batting quality of Bangladesh. In the batting department, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the silver lining, and he will be expected to lead the way again. With the surface expected to be placid, the likes of Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid Khan will need to be on top of their game with the ball. Will Afghanistan manage to spring a surprise? Or will India cruise past Afghanistan? Let’s find out. Toss and team news coming up in a bit.
The hosts, India, kicked off their campaign with an emphatic victory against Australia in Chennai. Ravindra Jadeja and Co. kept the Aussies below 200 before Virat Kohli and KL Rahul steadied the sinking ship and saw India home. With Shubman Gill yet to fully recover, Ishan Kishan will get another go, and he will be eager to impress the team management. Considering that this is a long tournament and Afghanistan ranks lowest among the test-playing nations, India might look to rest one of their two frontline pacers and bring in Mohammed Shami.
Hello and a warm welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to match number 9 of the 2023 ODI World Cup between India and Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. In the last outing in Delhi between South Africa and Sri Lanka, we saw several records being shattered, so don’t be surprised if we are treated to another run-fest here. Heading into this game, India will start as favourites and will be expected to make it two wins out of two.
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4.6 overs (0 Run) No run.