New Delhi: Skipper Rohit Sharma scored a scintillating century (131 runs from 84 deliveries), which helped India secure a convincing 8-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their second World Cup match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Sharma not only scored the fastest century for an Indian batter in Cricket World Cup history, surpassing legend Kapil Dev, but his seventh Cricket World Cup hundred also exceeded compatriot Sachin Tendulkar's total of six. He also equaled David Warner as the joint-quickest player to reach 1000 Cricket World Cup runs by innings batted (19).
Meanwhile, the Indian team's pursuit of the target was a collective effort, with contributions from Ishan Kishan (47), Virat Kohli (55 not out), and Shreyas Iyer (25 not out).
Sharma termed it a good win for India, emphasizing the importance of the team gaining momentum at the start. "You will be put under pressure. There will be a spell from the opposition, and we'll have to absorb the pressure. We absorbed it well. For now, it's about leaving what's happened aside and moving on. We have players with different skill sets, bringing different attributes, which is good for the team. We have batters who play freely and fearlessly. When you have all-round players, things take care of themselves. In World Cups, you need to respond with different styles of play. We approached this game against India-Pakistan in that way. We don't want to worry about external factors. We'll treat every game in a similar manner, considering how the pitch plays, the conditions, and the combinations," said the skipper.
Sharma, who was also the Player of the Match, stated, "It was a good pitch to bat on. I backed myself to play my natural game. I knew the wicket would get easier once I got my eye in. It's something I've been working on for a while. It's special to get a World Cup century. I'm very happy about that. I don't want to think about records too much because I know there's a long way to go, and I must not lose focus on what's required."
"I just want to make it count on days like this. Some of my play is premeditated; I can't just go out and play big shots. Sometimes, you go by instinct. It's a mixture of both. I know it's my responsibility to give the team a good start and put the team in a strong position as much as possible. It's something I've been doing for a while, and I love it. It looks good when it works out. It doesn't always come off, but I want to back myself to keep trying and put pressure on the opposition," he added.
