Virat Kohli the revered Indian cricket maestro exuberantly cheered for his fellow players from the teams dressing room during the opening innings of the 2024 T20 World Cup encounter against Afghanistan on Thursday (June 20). The prestigious Kensington Oval in Bridgetown Barbados served as the battleground for this match.
Team India decided to bat first after winning the toss. Suryakumar Yadav the number one T20I batter in the world showcased his talent on a challenging surface delivering an impressive innings of 53 runs from 28 balls to lead his team to a total of 181 runs in 20 overs. Hardik Pandya with 32 runs supported him effectively in the middle order while Axar Patel concluded the innings with a quick 12 runs off 6 deliveries.
Virat Kohli kicked off his innings scoring a run-a-ball 24 before falling short of converting it into a big knock. Despite the setback his enthusiastic support for his teammates was palpable as Virat Kohli cheered and clapped passionately from the dressing room following his dismissal.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) posted a video on their official Instagram account showing fans Virat Kohli’s responses to some of the important moments that occurred throughout the first innings of the match.
Watch Virat Kohli Boosts Team Morale video below:
Jasprit Bumrah Shines as India Defeats Afghanistan by 47 Runs in 2024 T20 World Cup Super 8 Clash
Afghanistan got off to a good start in their 182-run chase, scoring 13 runs in the first over. Jasprit Bumrah (3/7) then wrecked their innings with two consecutive strikes. Axar Patel also chipped in, bowling a wicket-maiden in the fifth over to reduce the Afghan total to 23/3.
Azmatullah Omarzai (26), Najibullah Zadran (19), Gulbadin Naib (17), and Mohammad Nabi (14) all received starts, but none of them were able to kick on and score large, limiting their team’s chances. Afghanistan were eventually all out for 134 in 20 overs, losing by 47 runs.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma commented on the victory at the post-match presentation, saying (via ESPNCricinfo):
“It was a great effort from the batters to get 181 and then obviously we knew about the class off our bowlers. Absolutely everyone coming up and doing the job is critical for us. Each one if they can play their role. Surya and Hardik’s partnership was very crucial for us. They batted deep and took us to that score.”
Rohit Sharma
Applauding Jasprit Bumrah, he continued:
“We know what Bumrah can do for us. It’s important for us to use him smartly. He is the one who is ready to take the responsibilities as it is not easy for a strike bowler to hold him back.”
Rohit Sharma