The outcome saw India jump to the second spot on the 10-team points table.
India kept their winning momentum intact at the ongoing World Cup, defeating Afghanistan by eight wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. Skipper Rohit Sharma, who couldn’t do much in the previous encounter, led the unit from front and hammered 131 runs off 84 balls laying a solid platform for India in the 273-run chase. Rohit along with Ishan Kishan, who was dismissed for run a ball 47, added 156 runs in just 18.4 overs for the first wicket.
Rohit kept things moving and added another 49 runs for the second wicket before getting out against Rashid Khan in the 26th over. Kohli, who played a crucial role in India’s win against Australia last time, finished unbeaten on 55 off 56 balls. Shreyas Iyer, who too had a forgettable outing last time, chipped in with 25(23), which also featured a 101m six.
Riding on the superb batting effort, India wrapped the chase with 15 overs to spare. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah accounted for four wickets, while birthday boy Hardik Pandya scalped two as Afghanistan managed 272/8 in 50 overs.
The outcome also saw India jump to the second spot on the 10-team points table. New Zealand, who have won both their matches and have the same points as India, sit at the pole position on the basis of a superior net run-rate (NRR).
New Zealand’s NRR stands at +1.958, not very far from India’s +1.500.
Pakistan, who too has maintained a 100 per cent record, are placed third. The team struggled a bit against Netherlands in their World Cup opener, but chased down a challenging 345 against Sri Lanka. Their NRR stands at +0.927.