World Cup 2019, India vs Afghanistan: 5 Moments that decided the fate of the thriller

India continued their unbeaten streak in the World Cup by overcoming the Afghan challenge at Southampton on Saturday. Considering the form and prowess of both the sides, many regarded the game as a cakewalk for Team India. Though the Men in Blues managed to win the encounter, the efforts required were much more than anticipated prior to the game.

The Afghans gave a stiff challenge to India after restricting them to 224/8. They were in the game right till the end, and it took some hair-raising bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to seal the deal for the subcontinental juggernauts by a slender margin of 11 runs.

A One-Day International lasts for about 8 hours, but the game is won in a few moments, moments which could later materialise into radiance or ruination depending upon their conversion rate. It is the conversion of these opportunities in one's favour that turns out to be the difference between the sides at the end of the day.

The Asian Derby in Southampton, too, was a match of a number of incredulous, magical moments, and it was India who snapped these chances and converted them into a victory. Let's dissect the match and have a look at the parts where the match was won and lost:

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#5 The Jadhav Jettison in the 46th over

Jadhav scored a crucial half-century against the Afghans

After beating the likes of South Africa, Australia and Pakistan on the back of their immaculate batsmanship, India were expected to wreak havoc on the inexperienced Afghan bowlers. However, they turned out to be a hard nut to crack for Kohli's men, and the side found themselves reeling at 192/5 after 44 overs. To make matters worse, seasoned finisher MS Dhoni was dismissed in the 45th over, which yielded only 2 runs.

Having spent some time in the middle with Dhoni, the onus was on Jadhav to deliver the goods for India. The 34-year old responded in a responsible fashion, unleashing himself against pacer Aftab Alam.

Kedar scored 11 runs in that over, with the help of a one-handed six and a boundary down the leg side. At a time when runs were hard to come by, this over rejuvenated the hopes in the Indian camp and turned out to be the best over for the side in the death overs.

Ironically, India went on to win the match by the same margin, it was those 11 runs which proved to be the difference between the two sides, as Afghanistan failed to make any of their death overs as big as Kedar did.

#4 Successive blows of pinch hitters by Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal and Pandya picked up two wickets apiece

The Indian bowling attack has made a meteoric rise in the past 18 months, having single-handedly set up the platform for many famous wins. The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami has shown the fire and fierceness to dominate the batsmen with the new ball and in the slog overs.

Spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have done the trick in the middle overs, while Hardik Pandya's presence provides a good blend in the bowling line up.

Having posted a below-par score on the board, Team India was heavily dependent on its bowlers to extend their dominant run in the World Cup. All the bowlers stepped up and shared the responsibility, picking up wickets at regular intervals. However, two blows by Hardik and Chahal towards the end of the innings majorly swung the game in the favour of India.

Both the bowlers had drawn their first blood earlier, but their ensuing wickets proved to be more important. Najibullah Zadran, with the ability to play aggressive strokes, had begun to ply his trade and threatened to loosen India's grip on the game.

It was then that Hardik came in the 42nd over and removed the big-hitting Afghan with a deceptive slower delivery. Rashid Khan, boasting of a similar capability was beguiled a few overs later by Chahal with his turn, and the former had his bails dispatched by MS Dhoni.

These scalps turned out to crucial in the context of the game, as they left no reliable partner to support Mohammad Nabi on the other end.

#3 Bamboozling Bumrah at the death

Bumrah bowled a string of yorkers in his final two overs

Jasprit Bumrah and death overs seem to be a heavenly combination on exhibition in crucial encounters. Be it maintaining a cool head to execute accurate yorkers, or making variations with the pace, 'The Boom' has a nerve-racking ability for all of it.

The 25-year old once again proved why he is currently the best bowler in the world, as he attacked the batsmen with his most trusted weapon, the yorker at the death on umpteen occasions.

Bumrah was entrusted the task to deliver the 44th, the 47th and the 49th over by Captain Kohli, and the World No.1 vindicated the faith of his captain, as well as 125 crore countrymen, as he gave away only 17 runs in these overs. In fact, the penultimate over was brimmed with yorkers, yielding only 5 runs.

Bumrah's miserly spell not only increased the pressure on the batsmen but also released it from his compatriots, as they made the most of this pressure by striking regularly from the other end. The brilliance in the penultimate over left 16 for Shami to defend in the final over, ensuring that India had a firm grip on the game.

#2 Shami Special at Southampton- The First Hat-Trick of the 2019 World Cup

Mohammed Shami became the second Indian to take a World Cup hat-trick

Mohammed Shami, playing his first World Cup 2019 match, turned out to be the last over hero for India. Following a hair-raising penultimate over by Bumrah, the pacer was entrusted with the responsibility of defending 16 runs in the last over to maintain India's unbeaten streak in the World Cup.

Having given just 3 runs in his last over, Shami kicked off the over in a disastrous fashion, being hit for a boundary by Nabi. Just when it seemed that there might be a twist in the tale, the mastermind MSD went up to Shami and shared a nugget of his wisdom, and the very next ball saw the latter have Nabi caught by Hardik Pandya on the boundary line.

This was possibly the last nail in the coffin, with Afghanistan needing 12 off 3, being 8 down. The comeback hero then executed two accurate deliveries to clean up the tail, thereby becoming the first bowler to claim a hat-trick in the 2019 World Cup.

#1 Bumrah's Double Wicket Maiden

Bumrah swung the game in India's favour by dismissing both set batsmen in the 29th over

The Indian bowlers started the innings in a determined fashion, applying brakes on the scoring shots of the batsmen. Once Shami and Pandya sent back the openers, it was the most experienced and technically sound Afghan pair: Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi, who made their way to the middle.

Having a cool head on their shoulders, the duo did not play any rash shots, rotated the strike and stitched a 42-run partnership. The game was even stevens at that point of time, and regular wickets were the only way in which India could stay in contention.

It was then that Virat Kohli handed the ball to Jasprit Bumrah, and what followed was an absolute masterclass. In the contest between the best of the two sides, Bumrah prevailed, by sending both the batsmen back to the dressing room.

He lured Rahmat Shah with a short ball, only to be caught by Yuzvendra Chahal in the deep. He also dismissed Shahidi with a beautiful low return catch off his own bowling. The World No.1 went on to bowl a maiden, adding on to the pressure for Afghanistan.

This over by Bumrah heavily shifted the odds of the game in favour of India, as it exposed the lower-middle order of the opposition. The 25-year old reaffirmed his stature as the world's best yet again, delivering the goods in the face of adversities. He was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match for his spell of 2/39 in 10 overs.