‘Don’t sweep me, he says’ – Ravi Shastri decodes Suryakumar Yadav-Rashid Khan banter during Super 8 clash

On Thursday, June 20, the Indian cricket team defeated Afghanistan handily to start their Super Eights campaign for the T20 World Cup 2024. India put in a strong all-around performance to win despite obstacles. Suryakumar Yadav shined with a superb half-century, helped along by Hardik Pandya, but Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a quiet day.

Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav duly supported Jasprit Bumrah, who was outstanding with the ball. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who had begun the innings with aggression, was crucially removed by Bumrah during his blistering session. Afghanistan was reduced to 13/1 in 1.2 overs when Rishabh Pant caught Gurbaz off Bumrah for only 11.

Rashid Khan of Afghanistan was their most impressive player, taking three wickets including the highly sought-after scalps of Shivam Dube, Pant, and Kohli. Despite the pressure his spell caused the Indian batsmen, Suryakumar Yadav was still able to score a few boundaries off him.

“Stop sweeping me, he (Rashid) says,” made Rashid and Suryakumar laugh, according to on-air pundit Ravi Shastri.

Afghanistan had a strong start to their pursuit of 182, but they had trouble gaining traction. They were 66/3 halfway through, and Gulbadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai were attempting to right the ship. But the game was turned around by Indian spinners. Afghanistan was reduced to 71/5 in 11.1 overs after Kuldeep Yadav removed Naib for 17 and Jadeja dismissed Omarzai for 26.

The two best bowlers for India were Bumrah (3/7 numbers) and Arshdeep (3/36) from their respective ends. Important wickets from Kuldeep, Axar, and Jadeja were also contributed.

India had earlier amassed a score of 181/8 in their 20 overs thanks to a half-century from Suryakumar Yadav and a partnership of 60 runs with Hardik Pandya. India was able to effectively defend against this by having a strong base.

India’s upcoming games are scheduled for June 22 against Bangladesh and June 24 against Australia. To get into the knockout stages, you must do well in these games. The Men in Blue’s successful Super 8s debut has launched their campaign on a high note, and they will be optimistic about repeating their success in next games.