Prasidh Krishna’s Five-For Overshadows Shahidi’s Century As Afghanistan Post 218

After Afghanistan elected to bat first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, India’s bowlers made immediate inroads into the batting line-up.

The visitors slipped to 36/4 within the first ten overs as Prasidh Krishna exploited favourable conditions with accuracy, bounce, and movement.

The right-arm pacer removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, and Darwish Rasooli during an exceptional opening spell that left Afghanistan struggling for stability.

Facing an early crisis, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi joined forces with Azmatullah Omarzai to revive the innings.

The pair combined for a vital 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket, restoring some momentum after the top-order collapse.

Omarzai played an enterprising knock, scoring 50 from 56 balls and striking five boundaries along with two maximums before Prince Yadav dismissed him.

Shahidi continued to anchor the innings despite battling physical discomfort and attracting repeated warnings for running in the protected area of the pitch.

The skipper reached his first ODI century in the 44th over by guiding Washington Sundar to the boundary. He celebrated the landmark with a sajda after completing a determined innings built on patience and resilience.

Shahidi’s knock of 102 from 131 deliveries included 13 fours and one six, while he also shared an important partnership with Mohammad Nabi to keep Afghanistan’s hopes alive.

Afghanistan failed to maintain their recovery after Shahidi’s dismissal, losing their remaining wickets in quick succession.

The side surrendered its last five wickets for only 20 runs, allowing India to regain complete control of the contest.

Prasidh capped off an outstanding performance by dismissing Shahidi as his fifth victim and finished with impressive figures of 5 for 23 from nine overs.

Brief Scores

Afghanistan 218 all out in 44.2 overs (Hashmatullah Shahidi 102, Azmatullah Omarzai 50; Prasidh Krishna 5-23) against India.