The rivalry between Afghanistan and India in cricketing terms is very recent, but has advanced so rapidly during the last few years. Afghanistan has emerged as an international cricket team which is competitive and stout, whereas India is a superpower when it comes to cricket. Therefore their matches are gaining quite considerable attention and interest from cricket fans. This article provides extended history of matches of the afghanistan national cricket team vs india national cricket team timeline in detail along with developments and notable moments about their cricket journey.
Early Encounters: Arrival of a new Contestant
First ODI Match: 2014 Asia Cup
- Date: 5th March 2014
- Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh
- Match Summary: Afghanistan and India played their first-ever official match of the one-day international format in the 2014 Asia Cup. India, under skipper Virat Kohli, was favourite against Afghanistan.
- Result: India won by 8 wickets.
- Key Players: Shikhar Dhawan (60) and Ajinkya Rahane (56) made quick work of Afghanistan’s modest total of 159 at Kandy today to win the match.
First T20I Match: 2012 ICC World Twenty20
- Date: September 19, 2012
- Ground: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Match Summary: The two teams first clashed with each other in the T20I format during the group stage of the ICC World Twenty20. This was a marquee encounter for Afghanistan as they were to face one of the giants of world cricket.
- Result: India won by 23 runs.
- Key Performers: Half-century by Virat Kohli along with Lakshmipathy Balaji’s brilliant bowling managed to take India home as Afghanistan fought back bravely.
Important Matches: Afghan Rise in the International Cricket
Test Cricket Landmark: One-off Test in 2018
- Date: June 14-18, 2018
- Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India
- Match Report: Afghanistan played their first Test match against India ever since in history, which marks a gigantic leap forward for Afghanistan cricket. The one-off Test match presented Afghanistan as an emerging team from the cricketing world as they had gained Full Member status by the ICC.
- Result: India had won the game by an innings and 262 runs.
- Key Performers: Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and fast bowler Ishant Sharma took wickets at frequent intervals which made India look for a win by big margin.
India vs. West Indies 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Match
- Date: June 22, 2019
- Venue: The Rose Bowl, Southampton, England
- Match Summary: In one of the most exciting matches of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, Afghanistan came close to pulling off a thrilling win over the Indian team. The Afghan bowlers saw India give away a modest total of 224/8.
- Result: India won by 11 runs.
- Play Picks: Mohammed Shami’s hat-trick in the final over and Jasprit Bumrah’s crucial bowling came in handy for India to keep Afghanistan from chasing the target.
Recent Face-offs: The Competition Heats Up
Asia Cup 2022: A Show of Power
- Date: 8 Sept 2022
- Venue: Dubai International Stadium, UAE
- Match Overview: India displayed a strong performance against Afghanistan in the Super Four stage of Asia Cup. In this match, Indian batsman Virat Kohli finally crossed his much-awaited 71st international century.
- Result: India won by 101 runs
- Important Players: Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 122 off 61 balls was the show-stealer for India in setting up a towering target against the opponent.
ODI Series 2023: Aspirants in Rise
- Date: Varying dates in 2023 season
- Match Summary: Afghanistan had a string of matches with India in the 2023 ODI season. At this stage, it is evident that Afghanistan did improve drastically and even went on to test India on more than one occasion.
- Afghanistan toured India multiple times during the 2023 season for the ODIs, and even managed to give the Indian team a run for their money. The Afghanistan batsmen and bowlers were exemplary in performance throughout the series. Some of the batting performances were exceptional against the Indian unit.
- Key Points: The Afghan spinners, specifically Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, were especially good and never let the Indian batsman catch a breath, as the fights were always neck and neck.
Head-to-Head Analysis
ODIs
- Total Matches Played: 3
- India Win: 3
- Afghanistan Win: 0
- Tied/No Result: 0
T20Is
- Total Matches Played: 3
- India Win: 3
- Afghanistan Win: 0
Test Matches
- Total Matches Played: 1
- India Win: 1
- Afghanistan Win: 0
Important Findings
- India had an unbeaten record against Afghanistan in all forms of the game.
- Afghanistan has been showing significant progress, especially in the form of T20I, where their bowlers have been able to challenge Indian batsmen at their own game.
Influential Forces on the Contest
Spin Bowling Techniques
Afghanistan has had the tradition of carrying players like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi. This at times has caused Afghanistan a problem as it is very difficult to break the Indian batsmen, who are proper players of spin.
Batting Power of India
Powerful batting with batsmen such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul has been a medal-winner for India. All the meetings between India and Afghanistan have witnessed an outcome in favor of India as they have easily bashed the attack from the Afghan bowlers.
Rise of Afghan Cricket
The most inspiring story is cricket when Afghanistan rose from the Associate Nation and is now a Full Member of the ICC. This continuous improvement in the sport and competitiveness against great teams like India makes them tough and talented.
Future of the Rivalry
With Afghanistan’s national cricket team changing and eventually growing into a competitive cricketing team, it would be very interesting to see how they strengthen the derby rivalry with India. It could be a very interesting time for cricket fans as they watch these teams face up to one another in more matches and tournaments.
Afghanistan’s steady improvement and India’s established dominance set up a compelling rivalry in cricketing that can prove to be a test of time in terms of shaping the future of cricket in the subcontinent. It is not just a contest of bat and ball; it symbolizes growth of Afghanistan in world cricket and the sportsman spirit shared between both nations.
Conclusion: Afghanistan vs India National Cricket Team
A timeline of Afghanistan national cricket team matches against the India national cricket team is proof of how much Afghanistan has developed and wants to make a serious challenge against one of the game’s most powerful teams. India still leads the head to head, though continuous improvement by Afghanistan implies that the future of this series will be acutely competitive and thrilling for the game’s fans around the world.
This vivid account of the timeline and development of their rivalry speaks as much about the importance of the matches as it does to the promise of more thrilling contests in years to come.
Also read:- India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Timeline
