HIGHLIGHTS
India (252 all out) vs Afghanistan (252/8) match ended in a tie
Rashid Khan defended 6 runs in the final over
Mohammad Shahzad top-scored with 124 runs in the match
MS Dhoni felt that the India vs Afghanistan Super Four match of Asia Cup 2018 ending in a tie was a good result as they could have very much ended up on the wrong side of the result. Mohammad Shahzad's 116-ball 124 had helped Afghanistan set India a challenging 253-run target but KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu's quick and solid start made sure that despite a stutter in the final, India were in for a victory, almost.
Dhoni took over as the captain of the Indian cricket team after a gap of 696 days as Rohit Sharma was rested for the inconsequential match on Tuesday in Dubai. Captaining India for 200th ODI, he could not lead India to another victory, but oversaw a classic cricket match.
Dhoni therefore became only the third cricketer captain in 200 ODIs. Ricky Ponting led Australia (ICC) in 230 ODIs from 2002-2012 while New Zeland's Stephen Fleming led in 218 ODIs from 1997-2007. On his return as India captain, Dhoni lost the toss but the decision still went his way as Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan opted to bat.
Dhoni said that Afghanistan had posted a very good total on the wicket and he was actually happy with the result.
"It's good that it's a tie, but they played really well. The Afghanistan guys played really well. 250 was a very good score on this wicket. We could have been on the losing side because of quite a few things that didn't go for us, so I'm happy with the result," Dhoni said at the presentation ceremony.
Dhoni was all praise for the cricket that Afghanistan played and admitted that they had also enjoyed Afghanistan's cricket throughout the tournament.
"Their (Afghanistan's) cricket has improved a lot. The way they have continued from the start of the Asia cup, it is commendable and we have enjoyed their cricket. It is one country that has risen through the ranks very well," Dhoni further said.
"They played really well. They batted extremely well too. The wicket slowed down later, but they bowled extremely well throughout the game and their fielding was tight too."