The Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team timeline indicates an emerging rivalry between a developing and an established cricketing nation. India has dominated the contests and demonstrated its depth, experience, and world-class players as the better nation. However, Afghanistan has also shown its “spunk” and gradual progress after its full membership was granted by the ICC. Afghanistan is known for its fearless play and all-around talented spin bowlers, who have often delivered challenging performances against the top teams, including India.
Although India has consistently won the rivalry and has asserted itself by demonstrating control, the series of encounters Afghanistan has played against India shows Afghanistan’s determination to be better each match played. This timeline shows an overall account of matches, turning points, and how the cricketing relationship has progressed between these nations over time.
2010 to Recent Encounters:
- 2010 ICC T20I World Cup- This is Afghanistan and India’s first Twenty20 International match. India swept Afghanistan in the third game of the ICC T20 World Cup, which was played in Gros Islet. They won by seven wickets. Afghanistan scored 115 runs in 20 overs, but India responded with 116 runs in 14.5 overs to win the match. The Indian squad was able to chase the mark because of Murali Vijay’s 48 runs in 46 balls. On the other hand, Ashish Nehra’s outstanding bowling performance—three wickets in four overs—was extremely important in keeping the opposition at bay. Nehra’s outstanding effort earned him the title of Man of the Match as well.
- 2012 ICC World Twenty20- India defeated Afghanistan by 23 runs in the third game of the 2012 ICC World Twenty20. In this pivotal encounter, India defeated the Afghan side for the second time in Twenty20 Internationals, while Afghanistan was able to regain its competitive spirit. Virat Kohli (50 runs) got the Man of the contest award for his outstanding effort, scoring a half-century in just 39 balls throughout the contest.
- 2014 Asia Cup- India defeated Afghanistan by eight wickets in the 9th game of the 2014 Asia Cup, which was played in Mirpur, Dhaka. Afghanistan set a goal of 160 runs for India after being asked to bat first. India won by scoring 160 runs in 32.2 overs. Ravindra Jadeja was named Man of the Match for his outstanding effort, taking four wickets in ten overs.
- 2017-2018 India v Afghanistan First Test- India and Afghanistan played their first test match. The Men in Blue won by 262 runs and an innings, securing a resounding triumph. India’s historic victory demonstrates their prowess in the test format, whereas Afghanistan struggled in their opening test match. Shikhar Dhawan (107 runs) and Murali Vijay (105 runs) both scored a century, while KL Rahul scored 54 runs to earn a half-century. Shikhar Dhawan.
- 2018-2019 Asia Cup- The 11th game of the ICC event was tied between both sides at 252. Anchored by Mohammad Shahzad with 124 runs, Afghanistan produced 252, losing 8 wickets. Led by KL Rahul (60) and closely supported by Ambati Rayudu (57), India completed the run chase and brought the game to a tie.
- 2019 ICC World Cup- India defeated Afghanistan by 11 runs in the 28th World Cup match, which took place on June 22, 2019, at The Rose Bowl in Southampton. Afghanistan put on a strong competitive show, scoring 213 runs in 49.5 overs, even though they lost the match. It demonstrates their development in the ODI format.
- 2021 ICC T20 World Cup- India defeated Afghanistan by 66 runs in the 33rd game of the 2021 T20 World Cup, which was played in Abu Dhabi. India was invited to bat first and gave Afghanistan a goal of 211 runs. Afghanistan tried their hardest to chase the goal in the second innings, but they were only able to score 144 runs in 20 overs. The two main Indian opening batsmen who got half-centuries in the game were Rohit Sharma (74 runs) and KL Rahul (69 runs).
- 2022-2023 Asia Cup- India triumphed by 101 runs in the historic 2022–2023 Asia Cup match, which took place in Dubai. The Indian team’s captain, KL Rahul, scored 62 runs to reach a half-century in the match, while Virat Kohli hit 122 runs to get a century. However, with 64 runs in the match, Ibrahim Zadran of Afghanistan also reached a half-century.
- 2023 ICC World Cup- India defeated Afghanistan by eight wickets in the 2023 ICC World Cup, demonstrating their total supremacy. In the contest, Rohit Sharma amassed 131 runs in 84 balls, earning him a century. Hashmatullah Shahidi of the Afghan squad, on the other hand, scored 80 runs during the game to reach a half-century.
- 2024 series of the T20 Internationals- India demonstrated their total supremacy against Afghanistan in the 2024 T20 Internationals series, defeating it 3-0. Shivam Dube contributed significantly to the series victory by scoring half-centuries in the opening and second games of the series. Rohit Sharma did, however, reach a century with 121 runs in the third game of the series.
- 2024 ICC T20 World Cup- India and Afghanistan last encountered in the 2024 ICC tournament for the 43rd Match in Barbados. India clinched victory by 47 runs, thanks to Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 53 off 28 balls. Jasprit Bumrah also proved crucial as he took 3 wickets, conceding just 7 runs.
As Afghanistan continues to strengthen, the future of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team timeline will be more competitive and exciting. As young talent emerges and experience builds, whether Afghanistan will push India even further remains to be seen. One thing is for sure: follow this rivalry to see better matches in the near future.
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