Right from the moment the gate was opened here at Chepauk, it was a sea of blue that dominated the stadium, with the crowd turnout growing in numbers as the day progressed, to a high of 20,000 during India’s run chase. After winning the toss, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi chose to bat first, a decision he might have regretted quickly, as his side reeled to 36/4 inside the powerplay phase.

However, Shahidi really rescued the Afghanistan side to a decent target, with a 131-ball 102, with the captain scoring 13 boundaries and a six. The Afghani skipper grew in confidence as the innings progressed, playing the Indian bowlers well in an attractive partnership alongside Azmatullah Omarzai, with the duo notching up their 100-run stand off just 108 balls.

But towards the end of the innings, Shahidi ran out of energy, as Afghanistan was bundled out for 218, including a five-run penalty that it incurred for running down the middle of the pitch. India’s reply was quite solid, as Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal put on a 165-run opening stand, the best-ever first-wicket partnership at the venue.