India can breathe a sigh of relief as it has beaten Afghanistan by 66 runs in its Super 12 tie of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. While India's chances of semis stay alive, social media was all happy about it.
Former champion India is seemingly back to its winning ways. On Wednesday, it defeated Afghanistan by 66 runs in its Group 2 Super 12 clash of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The win has given India its first win of the tournament, keeping its chances for semis alive.
FULL SCORECARD: ICC T20 World Cup 2021, India vs Afghanistan (Super 12)
Also, the chances of Afghanistan are alive. However, as far as India is concerned, it still has some task to do, and it is to win its remaining couple of games, besides hoping for New Zealand to lose one of its remaining two games. While India's chances still hang in the balance by a threat, it would not be giving up on its hopes.
This is how it is done. India played like India. 👏👏
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash)So great to see Team India’s performance on the field today, you were brilliant tonight, & amazing partnership. Keep up the good work, more power to you! 🇮🇳🙌
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina)Meanwhile, India's win was a much-needed Diwali gift for the Indian fans, as a loss would have demoralised the team, along with the fans, besides ruining the festival itself. Following the win, the fans took to Twitter to express their happiness on the occasion, ahead of the festival, as we present some of the top tweets and reactions.
Welcome back Indian batsmen 😅 pic.twitter.com/BMr1mmVutV
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14)ALSO READ: Rahul Dravid appointed as Team India head coach - Details here
Afg: Indian total won't be that high.
Indian total: pic.twitter.com/rmEMgI0Qqb
Match summary
Winning the toss, Afghanistan opted to bowl, citing the dew factor. However, the Indian openers were off to an explosive start, contributing to a 140-run stand, which instantly pushed Afghanistan onto the backfoot. India managed to post the highest total of the tournament this season, 210/2. In reply, the scoreboard pressure did not allow the Afghans to settle, as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals, while India eventually saw it through by 66 runs.
Brief scores: India 210/2 (Rahul- 69, Rohit- 74, Pandya- 35; Janat- 1/7) vs Afghanistan 144/7 (Janat-42*; Shami- 3/32) by 66 runs.