Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul combined for a blistering 140-run opening stand Wednesday as India racked up the highest score in this year’s T20 World Cup and finally won its first game, beating Afghanistan by 66 runs.
Rohit smashed 74 off 47 balls and Rahul made 69 off 48 deliveries in India’s mammoth total of 210-2 after captain Virat Kohli lost his third successive toss and was asked to bat first.
Hardik Pandya (35 not out) and Rishabh Pant (27 not out) provided a brisk finish by hammering 65 runs in the last four overs as Afghanistan’s premier bowler Rashid Khan returned with a rare unimpressive figure of 0-36.
Rohit welcomed the appointment of Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of the team.
“We were playing the game (against Afghanistan), so I had no idea (about it). Congratulations to him (Rahul Dravid) for coming back in a different capacity in the Indian team, we look forward to working with him,” Rohit said at the virtual press conference, hours after the BCCI appointed Dravid as the head coach.
“He (Dravid) is a stalwart of Indian cricket and it will be nice working with him in future,” he added.