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

#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.