WATCH: Shardul Thakur takes juggling catch at boundary line to send Rahmanullah Gurbaz packing in IND vs AFG 2023 ODI World Cup

Team India are off to a bright start with the ball after Afghanistan opted to bat first in Match 9 of the 2023 ODI World Cup. The two are currently (October 11) locking horns at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Afghan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran gave a steady start before pacer Jasprit Bumrah broke the partnership by removing the latter. 

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Gurbaz then partnered with Rahmat Shah and added some crucial runs for Afghanistan. As the duo looked good to build a decent partnership, India's birthday boy Hardik Pandya provided a breakthrough by dismissing the in-form Gurbaz. The fast-bowling all-rounder delivered a well-directed bouncer and Gurbaz tried to clear the boundary rope with a pull shot. 

However, Hardik's extra pace hampered the right-handed batter's timing. At one stage the ball looked to be going easily over the ropes but Shardul Thakur clearly judged the trajectory of the ball and grabbed it without any mistake. Thakur caught the ball on the first attempt, but just as it was about to touch the fence, he flicked it into the air. He soon returned to the field and completed the catch on the second attempt.

Watch the video below: 

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Shardul Thakur showcasing his fielding skills with a fantastic catch. #CWC23 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/wgSlKhZW0W

— Arfat Sayyad (@aftsyd) October 11, 2023

Thakur traps Rahmat Shah in front of the stumps

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After taking a stunning boundary line catch, Thakur gave India another wicket in the very next over, but this time with his bowling skills. The right-arm seamer trapped Rahmat Shah in front of the stumps to leave Afghanistan reeling at 63/3 in 13.1 overs. Rahmat went for a drive on a fullish delivery, but the ball came back in and crashed onto his back leg. The batter asked the umpire to send it upstairs, but replays clearly showed the ball was clipping the wickets. 

Shardul was included in the playing XI as a replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin. The all-rounder did not feature in India's opening match, which saw India beat Australia by six wickets at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8.