Since 2010, India and Afghanistan have only played against each other in T20 International cricket five times until late 2023. They mostly compete in big tournaments like the World Cup and the Asia Cup. Their last match was in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Even though Afghanistan has become strong opponents in short cricket matches, some Indian batters have consistently played well against them. This shows how skilled and adaptable they are.
Now, let’s see five Indian batters who have scored the most runs in previous matches against Afghanistan:
1. Virat Kohli – 172 runs
Virat Kohli is a famous cricket player who has beaten many strong opponents in his career. He has also performed exceptionally well against Afghanistan in T20I matches. In his two matches against them, he played brilliantly and helped his team win.
The first time Kohli played against Afghanistan was in September 2012 during the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. He was 24 years old then and scored 50 runs in just 39 balls, leading India to victory by 23 runs. Almost ten years later, in September 2022, Kohli played against Afghanistan again, this time during the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi.
In this match, Kohli scored his highest T20I score of 122 runs not out in just 61 balls. It was his first and only century in T20I matches so far, and it ended his three-year wait for a century in international cricket.
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2. KL Rahul – 131 runs
KL Rahul, a popular cricket player from India, has faced Afghanistan’s spin bowlers twice. Both times, he played exceptionally well and helped India win.
The first time was during the 2021 T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi. Rahul scored 69 runs in just 48 balls while facing bowlers like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. He also had a great partnership with Rohit Sharma, scoring 140 runs together. Because of his outstanding performance, he was chosen as the best player of the match.
The second time was during the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai. He scored 62 runs in 41 balls. Even though his performance was impressive, it was somewhat overshadowed by Virat Kohli’s 122 runs later in the same match.
3. Rohit Sharma – 75 runs
Like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma played cricket against Afghanistan twice in ten years. The first time, he only scored one run, but India won. The second time, he played really well, scoring 74 runs in a match that India won by a lot.
India had lost badly to Pakistan and New Zealand before this match. But against Afghanistan, they played aggressively and scored a lot of runs, finishing with 210 runs for 2 wickets. Sharma hit three sixes and eight boundaries, scoring the most runs in the match. He was named the best player of the match after India won by 66 runs.
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4. Suresh Raina – 56 runs
Suresh Raina, a former Indian cricket player, played against Afghanistan in 2010 and 2012. Although he didn’t score a lot of runs, he helped his team win both matches with his smart batting in the middle of the game.
In 2010, during a T20 World Cup match, Raina hit a boundary and a six, scoring 18 runs in 13 balls. This, along with good batting from Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni, helped India easily chase Afghanistan’s score of 115 runs.
Two years later, in another T20 World Cup match, Raina scored 38 runs in 33 balls with many boundaries. India ended their innings with 159-5, and this score was enough to win the match by 23 runs later on.
5. Murali Vijay – 48 runs
Murali Vijay, a cricket player from India, played his T20 international game against Afghanistan in May 2010 during the T20 World Cup. He scored 48 runs in that game, helping India win. Vijay hit two fours and three sixes in his innings, which was his best score in T20 internationals until he retired from international cricket.
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