Explore Business Standard
India Vs Afghanistan
India on Monday "unequivocally" condemned Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan and said it is Islamabad's old practice to blame its neighbours for its internal failures. Pakistan carried out airstrikes in certain areas in Afghanistan in what it said was aimed at targeting some terrorist hideouts. "We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost. We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard," he said.
India skipper Rohit Sharma on Thursday lauded the team for their comfortable 47-run victory over Afghanistan, attributing the clinical all-round display to better planning which was possible due to extensive knowledge about local conditions. India dishd out a superlative show as they posted 181 for 8 and then returned to dismiss Afghanistan for 134 to register a comfortable 47 run win. "The last two years we've played T20s here, so we understand the conditions and planned accordingly. We adapted well and got 180, which was a great effort from the batters. We had class bowlers who defended it perfectly," Rohit said during the post-match presentation. "Everyone came in and did their job, that's critical and we dwell on it. SKY and Hardik's partnership was critical at that point, we needed someone to bat deep which they did." Jasprit Bumrah was the standout bowler as he returned with brilliant figures of 4-1-7-3. "We know Bumrah's class and what he can do. Important for us to use him
India played out a goalless draw against Afghanistan after both sides failed to turn their opportunities into goals in a Group A fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers here. It was end-to-end contest in the first half on Thursday night with India coming close to scoring through Manvir Singh on two occasions and the hosts too had their share of chances. With this result, India climbed to the second spot in Group A with four points from three matches, followed by Kuwait, who are on three points from as many games. The equation was quite clear for both teams. A win would do either side a world of good. India have provisionally taken the second spot in Group A, three points ahead of Kuwait, who lost to Qatar 0-3 earlier in the night. Afghanistan, following a draw and to losses are fourth in the group. A feisty midfield battle ensued in the opening exchanges as lunging tackles were frequently on display at the Damac Stadium. While Afghanistan looked to use their pace and physica
Was Rohit Sharma retired hurt or retired out? It was the question on everybody's mind as the Indian skipper walked back before the last ball of the first Super Over during third and final T20 against Afghanistan, which the hosts eventually won to bag the series 3-0. As it turned out, it was pure gamesmanship from Rohit as India needed two runs from one ball to win at that stage and he wanted to use the better running abilities of third batter Rinku Singh to eke out that extra run. But the tone of the question intensified as Rohit walked out again to open the innings in the company of Rinku in the second Super Over. As per the rules, once a batter is deemed retired out, he cannot come out to bat again if another Super Over is needed to decide the outcome of the match. So, how did Rohit manage to bat again in the second Super Over? A match official later explained that if the opposition captain or coach do not have any objection, a batsman can bat again in the second Super Over. I
Arshdeep Singh's chaotic journey in T20Is will reach its culmination point at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the third match against Afghanistan on Wednesday, and he is banking on the recent experience of bowling with new-ball to ace the latest test of his skills. Arshdeep took four wickets from as many matches against the Aussies last year, but in each of those matches he conceded 41, 46, 44 and 40 runs in four overs. But against South Africa and Afghanistan, the left-arm pacer had relatively better outings four wickets across four matches at an acceptable overall economy of eight. Those performances offered a microcosm of Arshdeep's efforts from January 5, 2023 to January 14, 2024 as his economy oscillated between 7.5 and above 10. The Punjab man accepted that his journey was a mixed bag during the above-mentioned period. "The last 12 months have been a mixed bag (of experience). There were a few good performances and I got to learn something new. There were a few ups and downs