India’s Mohammed Shami produced a final-over hat-trick to deny Afghanistan a historic win at the Cricket World Cup.
India failed to impress with the bat after scoring 224-8 in their 50 overs, with captain Virat Kohli top-scoring with a 67.
On a slow pitch at Southampton, India looked in danger of losing in what was a dramatic finish on the south coast.
Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi starred with the bat and scored 52, forcing the match into the final over before moving his team to within 12 runs of victory.
However, he was caught on the boundary before Shami dismissed Aftab Alam and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in consecutive balls.
India remain third in the World Cup standings and Kohli was pleased with the fight shown by team.
He told BBC Sport: “This game was important for us. It didn’t go as planned. When things don’t go your way you need to show character and bounce back.
“That showed the character of our team. We can take lot of heart from this win and take the confidence forward.”
