World Cup: So close and yet so far for inconsolable Afghanistan

In Manchester and in Southampton, it was heartbreak in the aftermath of two World Cup matches. While many cricket fans dropped their team loyalties to weep at the sight of a distraught Carlos Braithwaite, a more poignant picture emerged in Southampton after Afghanistan were denied a win against India in the match's final over.

As the Afghan team returned to their hotel after the match, the faces, words and battle weary eyes of the Afghan players spoke volumes. Later, most players were to be found in their respective rooms, in the team hotel overlooking the Hampshire bowl ground.

Most ordered pizzas as they wondered: “What if?” Skipper Gulbadin Naib had perhaps said it a million times by then, to the world, his countrymen, teammates and himself, “We missed the chance to beat India.” He said the same thing while stepping out of the hotel to go out for dinner at a local Afghan restaurant.

Consolations and platitudes like “you won the hearts” came thick and fast — but Naib and company did not want compliments. They wanted that win. A win which would have been possibly the biggest upset ever in a cricket world cup. A win that would have been the very first of their world cup journey so far.

For the entire duration of the match, it was Afghanistan and not India which kept the 18,000 fans sitting on the edge of their seats. That is, until Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami came up with the finest display of death bowling between them to dash Afghanistan's hopes, ensuring that number two ranked India won by 11 runs. It is no mean feat that the Afghans had made India work hard for their victory, even scaring them with the prospect of defeat.

The result is still one of the most remarkable turnarounds in cricket world cup history. After having been thrashed by England in their previous match at Edgbaston, Afghanistan’s near-comeback against the next best team, India, is huge.

An emotional Naib could barely express his feelings after the match. This loss very probably hurt more than the one against England. “I think one time we think we can win easily, very easily, but in the end, I am emotional inside. We are sad because we had a chance to beat this kind of team. In the World Cup, it's a big achievement for any team. But the big teams, they didn't give a single chance. Today we missed an opportunity to win, to beat India. India is one of the best sides. It's my favourite team. Always my favourite team, and I support Indian team when I'm watching them play. Also, my favourite is Virat Kohli, and I played against him,” said an inconsolable Nabi.

Naib needed a win, badly. Not for him, but for his team’s morale, which would have been low after the devastating loss to England. Notwithstanding the controversies surrounding his team, its coach and former selector. He had asked the team to come together strongly against India. His teammates responded to his call with a very positive performance on field. “At the start of the tournament, I said we have not played our good cricket. So I think we're now getting better and better day by day. This is the team performance. So this is a good sign. Like you play these kinds of teams, they didn't give you a single chance, and also credit goes to the Indian side, how they bowl, how they field...we did a lot of things good. But, in the end, we miss it”.

He revealed that Nabi was struggling with a niggle in his left leg, which hampered his batting in the middle. The experienced all-rounder still performed magnificently with both bat and ball, taking two wickets and scoring 52 runs — anchoring Afghanistan’s run chase. “Nabi showed the skills, how he's one of the best players of Afghanistan and also in the world. But he has a little problem in his left leg. So I think he didn't run fast. He tried to finish the game, I think Nabi did his job, but it's not enough,” Naib said.

Naib added that the conditions were cold and the wickets unsuitable for spin bowling — Afghanistan's greatest strength — in the first four matches that the team played and lost. The wicket was easier to bat on against India in the first innings, as the sky was clear and sunny. This helped Afghanistan, which fielded four spinners against India who gleefully found the Indian batsmen struggling to play spin.

“The first four games we played, the wickets were very difficult to bat or ball, especially for us. So we didn't expect this kind of wickets when we played the first four games. But in the last two games, there were really good surface, especially for the spinners, and I think if you watched the game, Mujeeb, Rashid, also Rahmat Shah [and] Nabi bowled really well. So credit goes to them, how they bowl. Last game, Rashid bowled really badly against England, and then he came very strong.”

MS Dhoni’s partnership with Kedar Jadhav came under scrutiny for its slow pace of scoring, with Dhoni in particular under the scanner. Naib credited this to the spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rehman. “The good thing is that Rashid and Mujeeb came back, back in form, so they bowled really well. Dhoni is a very experienced player, such a great player, and he's a legend of Indian team, but we just planned it for Dhoni and Jadhav. When the ball is turning, it's really difficult for anyone. Especially when Rashid's ball turns, it's really difficult for any team. But Jadhav and Dhoni make a good partnership in the middle. India took the game away from there. One time we thought they will score 170, 180,” he said.

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