World Cup 2019: Preity Zinta all praise of Indian bowlers after a thrilling win; lauds Afghanistan too

India are known to be a batting powerhouse. On most occasions, an Indian win is generally accomplished by the team’s batsmen. The three wins that Virat Kohli’s side has registered in the ongoing World Cup till Saturday were also achieved on the back of the batters’ good show. However, an exception was witnessed in Southampton where the bowlers made an emphatic statement to give India a memorable win against a spirited Afghanistan.

Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the match but the day was not for the Indian batsmen. Rohit Sharma mustered only one run off 10 while his opening partner KL Rahul made 30 off 53. MS Dhoni had an off day as well with 52-ball 28. It was Kohli’s 63-ball 67 and Kedar Jadhav’s 68-ball 52 that saw India reaching 224 for 8 in 50 overs. The total was far from satisfactory, especially after India’s power-packed shows against Australia and Pakistan over the past two weekends.

But even as the fans apprehended an unexpected loss to Afghanistan, India’s bowlers came back hard at the opponents. Opening bowlers Mohammed Shami (4 for 40) and Jasprit Bumrah (2 for 39) put in a massive effort to eventually win the game for the team by just 11 runs. The two fast bowlers bowled brilliantly in the death overs and especially Bumrah’s precise bowling helped Shami pick wickets in a heap.

Aaj ki shaam bowlers ke naam, says Preity

Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, who is known for her love for cricket as she co-owns Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kings XI Punjab, took to Twitter to congratulate India over their hard-earned victory. She gave the credit to the bowlers and lauded both Shami for the hattrick and Bumrah for bagging the Man of the Match award. It may be mentioned here that Shami plays for Preity’s franchise in the T20 tournament in India.

The veteran actress-cum-entrepreneur also did not forget to congratulate the Afghanistan side for their impressive effort that made India run an extra mile to secure the win. Out of the race for the semi-finals, Gulbadin Naib’s side is now playing for pride and one would not be surprised if they can spoil some of the top teams’ party in their remaining three games.