Asia Cup 2018: India, Afghanistan Match ends in Tie

ONI Bureau: What a finish! The Super Four match between India and Afghanistan at Asia Cup 2018 ended in a TIE, as India was fortunate enough not to lose the match.

Despite the scare, Ravindra Jadeja almost pulled it off for India before losing his cool in the penultimate ball. He would rue the missing opportunity as he had two balls to score just a single. Undoubtedly, Afghanistan played much better. They have been a revelation in this tournament. And, they did not deserve to lose today.

In today’s match, India tested its bench strength, while MS Dhoni captained the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma. It was Dhoni’s 200th match as a Captain.

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first. The scored 252/8 in 50 overs, thanks to Mohammad Shahzad (124) and Nabi (64). Shahzad became the first Afghanistan player to score a hundred against India. For India, Jadeja took 3 wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav took 2 wickets.

Chasing a victory target of 253, Indian openers KL Rahul (60) and Rayudu (57) added 110 runs for the first wicket. Karthik scored 44, as other batsmen struggled against the Afghan bowlers and fielders.

India lost wickets at regular intervals and as we mentioned, they bowled out for 252 in 49.5 overs. Jadeja scored 25. For Afghanistan, Aftab Alam, Nabi and Rashid Khan took two wickets each. Shahzad was declared ‘Man of the Match’.