2019 World Cup minnows Afghanistan produced a tremendous bowling display to restrict India to just 224-8 in Southampton on Saturday.
Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav recorded fifties but no other player managed to cross the 30-run mark at the Rose Bowl as the Afghan spinners squeezed the life out of Indian on a sluggish pitch.
While most bowlers thrived in probably their best bowling performance of the tournament so far, spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman stood out with super figures of 1-26 from his 10 overs.
We take a deeper look at his performance.
ANALYSIS
Overs: 10
Runs: 26
Maidens: 0
Wickets: 1
Economy rate: 2.6
30-SECOND REPORT
18-year-old Mujeeb has slowly established himself as capable handler of the new ball. He foxed the in-form Rohit Sharma with a fantastic delivery that spun away after pitching and hit the off stump.
After troubling the batsmen in his opening spell, Mujeeb returned in the death to prevent MS Dhoni and Jadhav from getting quick runs. His final spell – in which he gave away just four runs across two overs – saved at least 20 runs for Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Mujeeb ur Rahman bowled a stunning spell in #INDvAFG at the Hampshire Bowl. #AfghanAtalan pic.twitter.com/LUpGbxrV0R
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 22, 2019
GOT RIGHT
Mujeeb was the only player to register an economy rate of less than six an over against England. The 18-year-old conceded just 44 runs in his 10 overs, while the rest of the team went for 357 in the remaining 40 overs.
The spinner did one better against India and conceded just 26 runs in his quota of 10 overs. By getting rid of Rohit, the teenager took the most in-form batsman in the line-up out early.
The youngster did not enjoy the best of seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL), failing to even feature in all matches for Kings XI Punjab. But he has turned heads in the World Cup and established himself as a player to watch out for.
It’s fair to say that Mujeeb has been one of the best performers for Afghanistan, outdoing the famed Rashid Khan.
The Khost-born has hardly showed signs of any flaws in his game and the his boundless talent promises a bright future.
VERDICT 9/10
A near-flawless performance deserves a near-perfect score. Considering the quality of the opposition, this could go down as one of the best performances in Afghanistan’s history.
