India faced Afghanistan in their opening Super 8s match of the T20 World Cup 2024 on June 20, 2024, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, India began on a dry pitch that captain Rohit Sharma noted would slow down as the match progressed.

Rohit Sharma was dismissed early, scoring just 8 runs, followed by Virat Kohli, who made 24 runs off 24 balls in a brief partnership with Rishabh Pant, who added 20 runs. The Indian innings was revived by Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 53 off 28 balls, and his 60-run stand with Hardik Pandya, who contributed 32 runs.

Akshar Patel’s late hitting helped India reach a total of 181/8 in their 20 overs. Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rashid Khan were the standout bowlers, each taking three wickets.

In their chase, Afghanistan’s top order struggled against India’s bowlers, losing wickets regularly during the powerplay.

Azmatullah Omarzai was the top scorer for Afghanistan with 26 runs, while Najibullah Zadran (19) and Gulbadin Naib (17) also made notable contributions. However, Afghanistan was bowled out for 134 runs, giving India a 47-run victory.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah was exceptional, taking 3 wickets for just 7 runs, and Arshdeep Singh claimed 3 wickets for 36 runs. Kuldeep Yadav, playing his first match of the tournament, also took two wickets. Suryakumar Yadav was named Player of the Match for his half-century. India’s next game is against Australia in Antigua on June 22.

The cricket community praised India’s victory and commended Jasprit Bumrah for his outstanding performance.