India have restricted Afghanistan to a par score of 272 for 8 in 50 overs after being asked to bowl first in their second match of the ICC World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Hashmatullah Shahidi played a captain's knock and top-scored for the Afghans with 80 runs off 88 balls while Azmatullah Omarzai contributed with 62 runs.
India's premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah bagged a four-wicket haul in his 10 overs while birthday-boy Hardik Pandya took a couple. Bumrah's 4 for 39 are his best figures in ODI World Cup cricket.
Shahidi plays a captain's knock
Skipper Shahidi walked the talk as Afghanistan put up a much-improved effort with the bat compared to what they had managed in their tournament opener against Bangladesh.
His 121-run stand for the fourth wicket with 23-year-old Omarzai allowed Afghanistan to post a fighting total.
At 211 or four in 40 overs, Afghanistan looked likely to get close to 300 but India bowlers did well to stem the flow of runs.
Bumrah stars for India again
Jasprit Bumrah was by the far the best bowler for the home team, delivering in both the powerplay and the death overs to end with figures of 4 for 39 in 10 overs. This is Bumrah's best figures in a World Cup game.
The ball did not turn much but Kuldeep Yadav ended with tidy figures of one for 40 in 10 overs.
Considering the batting friendly conditions at Feroz Shah Kotla, India would fancy themselves to chase down the target with little difficulty.
