Cricket is the sport that goes knocking hard for people across the globe, particularly in cricket-hot countries like India and Afghanistan. Overtime, such contests involving the India National Cricket Team and the Afghanistan National Cricket Team have surfaced as an important source of innovation, with Afghanistan emerging as a force to reckon in the world of international cricket. This article takes a thorough analysis of a hypothetical match between these two teams with exclusive scorecard and its analysis mirroring their crickety skills, combat, and experience while referring to India vs. Afghanistan matches.
India vs. Afghanistan Cricket Rivalry History OVERVIEW
India is a powerhouse of cricket with a rich history and great titles in ICC trophies. They have dominated most international matches. Afghanistan, on the other hand, remains a newborn player into the cricketing world, and they can skyrocket up the ranks quickly because they possess evident talent in their bowling attack. Names like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi are already household names, while the stalwarts of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah continue to inspire through generations in Indian cricket.
The growing Afghanistan cricket has thrown a different flavor on the matches with India, often leading to energetic dual clashes which cricket buffs look forward to watching across the globe.
India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team A Hypothetical Match Analysis
Match Summary
- Date: 25 Sep 2024
- Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India
- Type: One Day International (ODI)
- Toss: India won the toss and will be batting first.
India Innings
The batting line-up of the Indians is known for its depth, and in this match, they made the most of the flat pitch at Ahmedabad. The top-order consisted of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who made it a batting contest.
| Batsman | Runs | Balls Faced | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
| Rohit Sharma (c) | 105 | 98 | 12 | 4 | 107.14 |
| Shubman Gill | 84 | 75 | 9 | 2 | 112.00 |
| Virat Kohli | 67 | 59 | 7 | 1 | 113.56 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 49 | 45 | 5 | 1 | 108.89 |
| Hardik Pandya | 37 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 176.19 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 18 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 150.00 |
- Extras: 12 (7 wides, 5 leg-byes)
- Total: 372/4 in 50 overs
India piled up 372/4 against Afghanistan in their contracted 50 overs, which is a big total to reach.
The top order fired on all cylinders. Rohit Sharma’s century with Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli formed good partnerships while Hardik Pandya’s explosive cameo added valuable runs at the end.
Afghanistan Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs Conceded | Wickets | Economy Rate |
| Rashid Khan | 10 | 1 | 55 | 1 | 5.50 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 10 | 0 | 68 | 1 | 6.80 |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | 10 | 0 | 74 | 0 | 7.40 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 10 | 0 | 64 | 1 | 6.40 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | 10 | 0 | 97 | 1 | 9.70 |
Rashid Khan of Afghanistan was the most economical of the lot even though he could pick up only one wicket. The rest of the bowling attack was unable to contain India’s aggressive batting line-up with Fazalhaq Farooqi as the most expensive.
Afghanistan Innings
Chasing such a massive total was always going to be a tough ask for Afghanistan, but they fought bravely. In fact, their aggressive innings by the top-order batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave hope early on.
| Batsman | Runs | Balls Faced | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 72 | 58 | 9 | 2 | 124.14 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | 36 | 48 | 3 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi (c) | 47 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 90.38 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 53 | 49 | 6 | 1 | 108.16 |
| Najibullah Zadran | 22 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 129.41 |
| Rashid Khan | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 171.43 |
- Extras: 9 (3 wides, 6 leg-byes)
- Total: 281/8 in 50 overs
Afghanistan were able to manage 281/8 in 50 overs. The half-century by Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave them a good start, and Mohammad Nabi’s quick-fire 53 injections gave them some much-needed life in their chase, but it was too late as the bowling attack from India proved a bit too strong for them as Afghanistan could only manage to go short by 91 runs.
India Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs Conceded | Wickets | Economy Rate |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 10 | 0 | 46 | 3 | 4.60 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 10 | 0 | 61 | 2 | 6.10 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 10 | 1 | 56 | 1 | 5.60 |
| Hardik Pandya | 7 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 6.42 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 10 | 0 | 57 | 1 | 5.70 |
| Shardul Thakur | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 5.33 |
Jasprit Bumrah was the other leader of the Indian bowling attack, taking 3 wickets with important breakthroughs being given by Mohammed Siraj. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja gave nothing away as the spinners and kept the middle order under check to give away maximum control of the game to India.
Match Summary
Rohit Sharma’s Captaincy: Rohit showed excellent guile both in batting aggressively and in placements of his field during the Afghan chase, thus helping him yield an imposing total for India.
The fighting spirit of Afghan : belied the underdog notion, as Gurbaz and Nabi were a notable aspect of this match despite going down by a margin of 4 runs. At least they are trying to become competitive on the international arena.
India’s Balanced Attack: Bumrah’s bowling was just too much for Afghanistan. The variety in Indian attack, with the presence of both fast and spin bowlers, did not allow the Afghan team to take momentum while chasing.
Excellent Fielding by Both Teams: Excellent catching in both teams has ensured that not many boundaries have crossed the boundary; sharp catches by Indians are setting an example, and full-value athleticism is by Afghanistan.
Conclusion
This was a match between India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team that illuminated the huge difference in experience but also revealed the toughness in Afghanistan’s cricket players. Even as India won by 91 runs, the contest reflected the growth of Afghanistan as a force in international cricket. The promise that such budding teams can offer is exciting contests with the best teams like India in the future. It was cricket at its unpredictable best and cricket at its powerful best in bringing fans together from across borders.
Also read:- India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Matches Scorecards
