India completely dominated Afghanistan in their second ICC World Cup 2023 match in Delhi on Wednesday to win the match by 8 wickets and take the second position on the points table from Pakistan.
Riding on Rohit Sharma's swashbuckling 131 and Virat Kohli's unbeaten 55, India gunned down the target of 273 with complete ease at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
"It was a good pitch to bat on, just backed myself to play my natural game. I knew once I got my eye in, the wicket was going to get easier for me. Something that I have been working on from a long time.
"It's a special feeling to get a World Cup hundred. Really happy with that," the Indian skipper said after being adjudged Player of the Match.
The Rohit-Bumrah show in Delhi
Rohit and fellow opener Ishan Kishan shared a 156-run stand before the captain added another 49 with Kohli.
Rashid Khan then broke the partnership with the wicket of Rohit but Kohli carried on with Shreyas Iyer (25*) to take India over the line.
The carnage in Delhi by the Indian batters was preceded by Jasprit Bumrah's magical spell which helped restrict Afghanistan to 272 for 8 in 50 overs after they won the toss and elected to bat first.
Bumrah finished with 4 for 39 from his 10 overs to register his best bowling figures in World Cup cricket. Hardik Pandya also contributed with two wickets on his 30th birthday.
"Was a good win for us. Important to get the momentum at the start. You will be put under pressure. There will be a spell from the opposition and we'll have to absorb the pressure. We absorbed it well. For now, it's leaving what's happened aside and move on," Rohit added on the win.
India vs Pakistan up next
India will next face arch-rivals Pakistan in what will be the biggest match of the tournament so far. The high-profile contest will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.
"For us it's crucial that we don't worry about external factors and just look at things we can control. We just need to show up and do well.
"Things like what the pitch is like, what combo we can play is what we can control. What happens outside we won't be worried about it. It's just about focusing on what we can do as players and how we can perform," Rohit concluded.
