Afghanistan restricted India –unbeaten at this year’s tournament – to 224-8 in their 50 overs as skipper Virat Kohli top scored for his team with a knock of 67.

Afghanistan seemed well placed to cause an historic upset against their superpower rivals when they reached the final over needing 16 runs to win with three wickets in hand, and with Mohammad Nabi approaching a half century at the crease.

Nabi struck a four from the first ball of the final over to move to 52 and put his team within sight, but Indian paceman Mohammed Shami stepped up when his country needed him to take Nabi’s wicket before seeing off tailenders Aftab Alam and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in successive deliveries for a remarkable hat-trick.

The 11-run defeat means Afghanistan are formally out of the tournament after lying bottom of the table and winless in six matches, while unbeaten India are set for the semi-finals as they sit third.

But after the result much of the talk centered on the remarkable effort from Afghanistan, a nation of cricketing minnows who were seeking only their second-ever World Cup victory, and came desperately close to seeing off two-time champions India.