Afghanistan vs India Cricket World Cup - Sharma dominance to continue

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: 20 Jun 2019

Ralph Staniforth 20 Jun 2019

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Afghanistan in for another long day at the Rose Bowl with Kohli and Sharma in top form

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Comfortable day for India as they face Afghanistan at the Rose Bowl in a 2019 Cricket World Cup match (Getty Images)

Afghanistan vs India Cricket World Cup Preview, Predictions, Betting Tips & Live Stream

The Rose Bowl hosts the 2019 World Cup match between India and bottom feeders Afghanistan in what should be a comfortable win for India.

I am predicting Rohit Sharma to dominate the Afghan bowling attack and score over 49.5 runs. Virat Kohli has two scores over 57.5 runs in his last two innings and deserves to be backed at 1.90 to do so again.

Afghanistan Form & Team News

Afghanistan sit at the bottom of the World Cup table and that is unlikely to change against India. The Afghans were properly hammered in their last outing against England at Old Trafford despite batting out their 50 overs for the first time in the competition.

Star leg spinner Rashid Khan had a poor day at the office as he fetched the worst World Cup bowling figures in history, going for 110 runs in nine overs. Afghanistan acquitted themselves well with the bat, scoring 247 runs in pursuit of 397 as Hashmatullah Shahidi top scored with 76.

Afghanistan can be backed at 13.00 but unless a miracle happens, that is money misplaced.

rohit sharma — Rohit Sharma has scored two centuries in his last three ODI's (Getty Images)

India Form & Team News

India are looking strong at the World Cup with three wins from four matches. Their performances have been disciplined and precise which makes it difficult to see anything other than a convincing win for the Indians.

In their last match against arch-rivals Pakistan at Old Trafford, Rohit Sharma scored his second century of the World Cup while Virat Kohli surpassed 50 for the second time running. In defence of a 336 run total India bowled well with Kuldeep Yadav the standout performer taking 2-32.

Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the tournament but that will not affect the Indian team in this encounter. There is no value in an Indian victory at 1.04 but Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in fantastic form and should be backed.

Sharma has surpassed 50 runs in his last five ODI innings so I am backing him to go over 49.5 runs at 1.90. With 82 and 77 runs in his last two innings Virat Kohli is good value to go over 57.5 runs at 1.90 too.

Afghanistan vs India Head to Head

India lead the head to head table 1-0 from two encounters. A second string Indian side tied the other match at the Asia Cup last year.

Afghanistan vs India Live Stream

Live streaming the Afghanistan vs India Cricket World Cup match on bet365 is a useful way of keeping up with all the action on your iPhone, iPad, Android device or computer. Please see terms and conditions at bet365.

Afghanistan vs India Match Up

Afghanistan cannot compete with India in any department. Their spin bowlers are generally their biggest threat but as we saw against England, they will travel the distance if the pitch offers them little.

India are among the World Cup favourites and they have proven why recently. In the bowling department they are extremely strong while captain Virat Kohli has started scoring runs at the right time.

Virat Kohli batting — Virat Kohli is tipped in the overs/unders market against Afghanistan (Getty Images)

Afghanistan vs India Key Statistics

India’s Rohit Sharma has scored 50+ runs in his last 5 ODI innings’ (all competitions).
India’s Rohit Sharma has scored 122 and 140 in 2 of his 3 World Cup innings.
India’s Virat Kohli has scored 50+ runs in his last 2 ODI innings.

Verdict

The value for this match can be found in the Indian form batsmen – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Sharma has scored two centuries at the World Cup and I am backing him to score over 49.5 runs at 1.90.

Indian captain Virat Kohli is finding his touch at the right time with two scores in excess of 57.5 runs in his last two matches. He can do it again at 1.90.

Best Bet: Rohit Sharma Over 49.5 Runs @ 1.90 at bet365 – 4 Units

Over/Under Tip: Virat Kohli Over 57.5 Runs @ 1.90 at bet365 – 4 Units