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India were at their supreme best in their 2023 World Cup clash against Afghanistan, brushing past their sub-continental neighbors by eight wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.
Afghanistan elected to bat first upon winning the toss, with half-centuries from Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai showing the way as they posted a fighting total of 272/8 on a belter of a surface.
The Afghan bowlers, however, just did not turn up as India ransacked runs at the rate of knots to wrap up a clinical chase with 15 overs to spare. Rohit Sharma led the way with his 32nd ODI ton while Virat Kohli chipped in with a half-century of his own.
Having won their second consecutive match at the 2023 World Cup, here are India's player ratings from their win over Bangladesh:
World Cup 2023: Bowlers blow hot and cold while top order fires for India
Rohit Sharma: 9/10
In the midst of a record-breaking spree, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was at his flawless best with the bat, firing an 84-ball 131 that marked his seventh century in ODI World Cup history, going past Sachin Tendulkar's tally of six.
While there was nothing to fault with his batting, Rohit's bowling changes left plenty to be desired. This is a fact reiterated by Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya sharing just 13 overs for combined returns of 3/74 even as Mohammed Siraj was persisted with despite the hammering he took.
Ishan Kishan: 8/10
Ishan Kishan shouldering arms every time Fazalhaq Farooqi dangled the carrot with a wide delivery was a sign of the southpaw learning his lesson from the game against Australia.
He took his time and played out quite a few dots but got into his own soon after, blasting a run-a-ball 47 as he shared a 156-run stand with Rohit for the opening wicket.
As always, he left his mark on the field and was as active as ever.
Virat Kohli: 8.5/10
Local hero Virat Kohli had the Delhi crowd at his feet and he did not disappoint them, carving out a seamless unbeaten 55 off 56 deliveries while scoring the winning runs.
He also held onto a straightforward catch that came his way to dismiss Najibullah Zadran and it was another fine day at the office for the former skipper at the 2023 World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer: 6.5/10
There wasn't much to fault with Shreyas Iyer in the clash against Afghanistan given that the majority of the job was done by the time he walked out to the middle.
He spent some useful time at the crease as he remained unbeaten on 25, while hoisting Mujeeb Ur Rahman over long on for the biggest six of the 2023 World Cup thus far, measured at 101 meters.
KL Rahul: 6/10
The rating is purely down to KL Rahul not having much to do in Wednesday's contest.
He was neat behind the stumps and pouched a superb diving catch to dismiss Ibrahim Zadran while he wasn't required to bat this time around.
Hardik Pandya: 6.5/10
Birthday boy Hardik Pandya also wasn't needed with the bat, but he sent down a useful spell of 2/43 off his seven overs.
He bounced Rahmanullah Gurbaz out before returning to deliver an outstandingly disguised off-cutter that castled Azmatullah Omarzai, who stitched a partnership of 121 for the fourth wicket with Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Ravindra Jadeja: 5/10
The hero with the ball in Chennai, Ravindra Jadeja went wicketless in Delhi even as his economy rate read just 4.75 across eight overs.
He could have looked to vary his pace a lot more if anything while he also overstepped once with the delivery dispatched to the fence as Shahidi and Omarzai began to release the handbrake.
Shardul Thakur: 7/10
It wasn't a bad return to the Indian XI for Shardul Thakur, who made his presence felt with a superbly judged boundary catch to dismiss Gurbaz before following it up with the wicket of Rahmat Shah.
It certainly was a surprise that he didn't bowl more than six overs, finishing with figures of 1/31 in the process.
Jasprit Bumrah: 10/10
A chanceless performance with the ball across all phases, Jasprit Bumrah showed yet again why he's a cut above the rest of his teammates as well as bowlers from around the world.
Pace, movement, accuracy, and variations - his spell had it all, and returns of 4/39 do apt justice to what was a masterclass on a flat track in Delhi.
Kuldeep Yadav: 7/10
Kuldeep Yadav turned in a highly economical spell of bowling as he finished with figures of 1/40 off his ten overs. The wrist-spinner came for some tap against Omarzai as he looked to deceive him in the air by looping it in the arc early on.
The moment Kuldeep corrected his length though, he was difficult to put away and he trapped Shahidi plumb in front in the 43rd over.
Mohammed Siraj: 1/10
A pale shadow of the fast bowler who blew Sri Lanka away in the Asia Cup final last month, Mohammed Siraj was taken to the cleaners on Wednesday.
A wicketless nine-over spell saw him concede 76 runs as he bowled all over the place and never looked at his best from the outset.
India will hope his worst day is behind him as tougher challenges await at the 2023 World Cup.
How would you rate India's performance against Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup? Have your say in the comments section.
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