Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking century
India continued their unbeaten run in the World Cup 2023 with a dominant eight-wicket win over Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday. Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking century seals India’s win. Rohit Sharma smashed a record-breaking 131 off 84 balls to lead India’s chase of 273 with 15 overs to spare. Sharma became the first batsman to score six centuries in World Cup history, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Afghanistan’s spirited batting performance
Afghanistan, who won the toss and opted to bat, put up a spirited performance with the bat, posting 272 for 8 in their 50 overs. Hashmatullah Shahidi (80) and Azmatullah Omarzai (62) were the main contributors, sharing a 121-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Shahidi scored his second consecutive fifty in the tournament, while Omarzai hit four sixes in his maiden ODI half-century.
India’s easy chase
However, Afghanistan’s bowlers had no answer to Sharma’s onslaught, as he tore apart their attack with 16 fours and five sixes. He added 97 runs for the first wicket with Ishan Kishan (47), who was playing his first World Cup match, and 108 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (55), who registered his 62nd ODI fifty. Shreyas Iyer (25 not out) finished the game with a six off Rashid Khan, who was the only Afghan bowler to take a wicket.
Sharma’s player of the match award
Sharma was named the player of the match for his brilliant knock, which was also his third century in this World Cup. He said he was happy to contribute to the team’s success and praised Afghanistan for their fighting spirit. “It was a good pitch to bat on and I just wanted to make the most of it. I am glad that I could score some runs and help the team win. Afghanistan played really well and they have some talented players. They are a team to watch out for in the future,” he said.
Points table and next matches
India are now second in the points table with four points from two matches, behind New Zealand on net run rate. They will face arch-rivals Pakistan in their next match at Ahmedabad on Sunday. Afghanistan are still searching for their first win in this World Cup, having lost both their matches so far. They will take on Sri Lanka in their next match at Kolkata on Saturday.
