India aren’t at the top of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 points table despite not having lost a match yet – similar to Pakistan and New Zealand.
They scored their latest thumping eight-wicket victory over Afghanistan on Wednesday as captain Rohit Sharma led India with a match-winning knock of 131 off 84 balls, with 15 overs to spare, at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The win marked the team’s second consecutive match victory as well as a fantastic net run rate of + 1.500 – but the hosts are still not at the top of the points table in the ongoing tournament.
New Zealand, also unbeaten, is currently at the top. They have four points from two games, the same as India, but the Black Caps are a spot above because of their superior net run rate of +1.958.
Pakistan, another team that is yet to lose a game, are in the third place. They have four points as well, but also a lower +0.927 net run-rate.
South Africa, next on the table, complete the top four teams in the tournament. The South Africans have secured a huge win in their opening fixture against Sri Lanka, with their second match of the tournament currently underway against Australia in Lucknow.
Australia, who lost to India by six wickets in their campaign opener, will aim to score their first tournament win while going up against South Africa on Thursday.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the points table, having suffered two straight losses. Both their defeats were big: they lost to Bangladesh by six wickets and by eight wickets to India.
With zero points after two matches, Afghanistan’s net run rate is -1.907.
The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led team put up 272 runs for 8 wickets in 50 overs after opting to bat at against India. Indian skipper Sharma anchored his side’s chase with an extraordinary performance as he broke Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of most centuries in a World Cup.
Sharma now has seven World Cup hundreds, one more than his legendary compatriot.
The match also saw star batsman Virat Kohli remain unbeaten on 56 off 55 balls, his second consecutive half-century in the World Cup.
India will next take on Pakistan on Saturday at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium in what will be one of the most awaited contests in the tournament.
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