From what I have seen so far, Virat Kohli has done good as a captain. Right from the first match against South Africa, he made a brilliant move my bringing in an extra slip to get rid of the dangerous Quinton de Kock. Not sure of his captaincy in this game against Afghanistan though as I have watched very little portion of this match.

I still doubt about Virat's captaincy, why the heck include Shankar if you don't have trust in his bowling.

India just won by 11 runs.  But it was a surprise to see Afghanistan's performance.  They really did well and even gave a nail biting fight till end.  One of the most thrilling matches so far in the tournament.  Bhumra's hatrick comes as a cherry on top. 

suni51 wrote:

I still doubt about Virat's captaincy, why the heck include Shankar if you don't have trust in his bowling.

Vijay Shankar is primarily a batsman. Virat preferred Shankar over Amabati Rayudu in the 15 member world cup squad because Shankar can also bowl a bit and is an excellent fielder. On the other hand, Rayudu is only known for his batting skills.

Even in the game against Afghanistan, he brought Bhuvi back in the middle over and in his second over he took 2 wickets.

The way he kept the 2 bowlers Shami & Bumrah's 4 overs  each was good.

Thankfully Shami delivered in his first match.

The move to give Bumrah penultimate over also paid off.

In today's newspaper also Virat's captaincy was praised.

I think it is a collective effort of Virat,Dhoni and Rohit.

Saurav Banerjee wrote:

suni51 wrote:

I still doubt about Virat's captaincy, why the heck include Shankar if you don't have trust in his bowling.

Vijay Shankar is primarily a batsman. Virat preferred Shankar over Amabati Rayudu in the 15 member world cup squad because Shankar can also bowl a bit and is an excellent fielder. On the other hand, Rayudu is only known for his batting skills.

True, but I also think that Shankar should be used in every match for 4 to 5 overs.

In that way he can be used in big games and crucial situations confidently. Also he will not be rusty and nervous at that time.

Arunima Singh wrote:

India just won by 11 runs.  But it was a surprise to see Afghanistan's performance.  They really did well and even gave a nail biting fight till end.  One of the most thrilling matches so far in the tournament.  Bhumra's hatrick comes as a cherry on top. 

Shami picked the Hattrick on in the last over. It was a wonderful match to watch.

Afghanistan having 3 spinners helped them.

Also Virat could have used Kedar in the middle overs. Don't know why he wasn't used.

epraneeth77 wrote:

Arunima Singh wrote:

India just won by 11 runs.  But it was a surprise to see Afghanistan's performance.  They really did well and even gave a nail biting fight till end.  One of the most thrilling matches so far in the tournament.  Bhumra's hatrick comes as a cherry on top. 

Shami picked the Hattrick on in the last over. It was a wonderful match to watch.

Afghanistan having 3 spinners helped them.

Also Virat could have used Kedar in the middle overs. Don't know why he wasn't used.

I feel Virat sees Kedar's bowling as a secret weapon. So, he doesn't want to expose him much, and maybe saving him for the big matches during crucial phases.

Saurav Banerjee wrote:

epraneeth77 wrote:

Arunima Singh wrote:

India just won by 11 runs.  But it was a surprise to see Afghanistan's performance.  They really did well and even gave a nail biting fight till end.  One of the most thrilling matches so far in the tournament.  Bhumra's hatrick comes as a cherry on top. 

Shami picked the Hattrick on in the last over. It was a wonderful match to watch.

Afghanistan having 3 spinners helped them.

Also Virat could have used Kedar in the middle overs. Don't know why he wasn't used.

I feel Virat sees Kedar's bowling as a secret weapon. So, he doesn't want to expose him much, and maybe saving him for the big matches during crucial phases.

Ya it must be so for sure. He will be crucial in that case. Partnership breaker and can slip in some quick quiet overs.

I am sorry for writing Bumrah instead of Shami.  It was all out of super excitement. 

Teams like Bangladesh and Afghanistan are rising well and have some really world class performance in the tournament.  Though Afghanistan was never considered a tough contender,  it gave a real tough fight.  This was the most challenging match for India so far and I would say more thrilling and entertaining than India and Pakistan match. 

Even Bangladesh gave a superb performance against England.