India stay alive with big win
Opening batsman Rohit Sharma hit a blistering 74 to set up India's first win at the Twenty20 World Cup with a 66-run drubbing of Afghanistan on Wednesday as Virat Kohli's team avoided a shock early exit.
The Indian batting finally fired with Sharma and KL Rahul, who made 69, putting on 140 for the opening wicket to guide India to 210 for two in their must-win Super 12 game in Abu Dhabi.
The tournament's highest total proved too much for Afghanistan who finished on 144-7 in 20 overs.
They still remain in the hunt for the semifinals along with New Zealand and India. Pakistan have already secured their place in the last-four from the group.
Returning off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned figures of 2-14 in his first white-ball international since 2017.
But Sharma remained the star with his 47-ball knock that deflated the opposition bowling after Afghanistan elected to field first.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya rode the momentum set by Sharma and Rahul, putting on an unbeaten partnership of 63.
Pandya, who hit 35, and the left-handed Pant, who made 27, hit five sixes between them.
India's new-ball bowlers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah took out the Afghanistan openers early in the innings.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit back with two fours and two sixes off Shami's third over but soon fell to Ravindra Jadeja after his 10-ball 19.
Ashwin, who came in to the XI in place of Varun Chakravarthy, got down to business as he trapped Gulbadin Naib lbw for 18 and bowled Najibullah Zadran to put Afghanistan in trouble at 69-5.
Never in the chase, Nabi and Janat, who made an unbeaten 42 off 22 balls, put on 57 runs for the sixth wicket to reduce their margin of loss.
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