Afghanistan hold India to a tie in Dubai thriller
Afghan bowlers contain Indian batsmen after Shahzad’s aggressive 124 sets a challenging total
■ Pakistan vsBangladesh :ShaikhZayed Stadium,AbuDhabi 3.30pmUAE OSN
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It was an inconsequential match but it turned out to be a thriller. The India-Afghanistan Super Four match in the Unimoni Asia Cup ended in a tie.
Afghanistan opener Mohammad Shahzad may not look like a cricketer, but he trashed the Indian attack with ease in the Unimoni Asia Cup Super Four match at the Dubai International stadium through an entertaining century to give a challenging total of 252 for 8.
India chased through a 110 runs partnership between openers Lokesh Rahul (60) and Ambati Rayudu (57) but despite a valiant effort by Ravindra Jadeja, Afghanistan held India to a tie.
Afghanistan that had stunned top teams in this tournament and gave Pakistan a fright, walked off from Asia Cup announcing emphatically that they are a power in One Day International cricket.
Shahzad, the pot-bellied wicket keeper batsman who enjoys his food, especially mutton, made mincemeat of the Indian bowling attack through an aggressive 124 runs off 116 balls with 11 boundaries and seven sixes to steer Afghanistan to a challenging 252 for 8 in 50 overs.
Chasing the total, Indian openers Rahul, playing his first match of this tournament, and Rayudu put on 110 in 17.1 overs. Rayudu was the first to reach his eighth ODI half century but fell at 57 lifting Mohammad Nabi to long on. Rahul too reached his second ODI half century but fell for 60, trapped leg before by Rashid Khan.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Manish Pandey returned scoring 8 runs each. Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav put on 38 runs in 8.2 overs before Jadhav (19) got run out while backing up.
Chances squandered
When India needed 48 runs in 10.2 overs, a well set Karthik got trapped leg before by Nabi for 44. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja added 16 runs before Yadav got run out for 9.
Needing seven runs off the last over, Jadeja hit Rashid Khan for a boundary off the second ball and then took a single. Needing two off three balls, Khaleej Ahmad too took a single to level the score but Jadeja (25) pulled Khan into the hands of Najibullah for the match to end in a tie.
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat. Indian bowlers, who are used to playing with cricketers who look fit, may not have expected Shahzad to stay long at the wicket.
When Shahzad took guard to face the first ball, he glanced at his idol and wicket keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind him. Interestingly, his innings was played in a match for which Dhoni had returned to captain the team that rested its top players.
Shahzad, who loves to play the helicopter shot like Dhoni began by hitting a boundary off Khaleel Ahmad through the vacant first slip region. In the second over, he hit Deepak Chahar who was making his ODI debut by slicing over the point.
India had rested five players starting from their skipper Rohit Sharma.