Rohit Sharma smashed 150 off 122 balls to help India score 364 before the bowlers put up a great performance as visitors won the final warm up match by 153 runs
Team India
Adelaide: India crushed minnows Afghanistan by 153 runs in their second and last warm-up fixture at the Adelaide Oval here on Tuesday, ahead of the World Cup which starts Feb 14.
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Opting to bat, India piled on 364-5 in their 50 overs backed by opener Rohit Sharma’s 150. In reply, Afghanistan managed 211-8 in their allotted 50 overs.
India had a poor start earlier in the day as they lost opener Shikhar Dhawan (4) and vice-captain Virat Kohli (5) cheaply by the fourth over.
Rohit Sharma. Pic/ AFP
However, Rohit combined well with left-hander Suresh Raina (75) to hit a 154-run third-wicket partnership. After Raina got out, with India’s score at 174 in the 29th over, Rohit then joined hands with Ajinkya Rahane, who went on to score an unbeaten 88. Rohit’s splendid innings came to an end in the 40th over, after a 95-run partnership with Rahane, who blasted the Afghan bowlers in the death overs to propel India to a mammoth total.
Eight bowlers used
Afghanistan captain Mohammed Nabi tried out eight bowlers of which four took a wicket apiece.
It was too much to ask for Afghanistan to chase down the monumental target. Though they played relatively well to go past the 200-mark, they never looked like they were really up to the task.
Top-order batsman Nawroz Mangal top scored with 60, the only half-century of the Afghanistan innings.
India pacer Mohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets each.
Brief Scores: India 364 for five in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 150, Ajinkya Rahane 88 not out; Hamid Hassan 1-49, Mohammad Nabi 1-62) vs Afghanistan.