The third T20I between India and Afghanistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was nothing short of a dramatic encounter. India struggled with the bat in the initial few overs but skipper Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh took control of the situation and helped the hosts post 212 runs on the board in the first innings. Afghanistan matched that, courtesy of Gulbadin Naib’s ruthless batting.
Batting first in the first Super Over, Afghanistan posted 16 runs. Mukesh Kumar started well with the ball but nine runs in the last two deliveries temporarily changed the momentum. However, courtesy of Rohit, India once again locked level as the game now moved to the second Super Over. Batting first, the Men in Blue could post only 11 runs.
Interestingly, the Indian skipper turned to Ravi Bishnoi to bowl the Super Over. The spinner however kept his calm and picked up two wickets in three deliveries to help the hosts get the job done. Meanwhile, former India cricketer Zaheer Khan lauded Rohit for his brave decision to back Bishnoi in the second super over. He mentioned that the cricketer backed his instincts, which helped the team win the game.
“I believe it was a smart and brave decision because you don’t have that much time in these situations. You have to back your instincts and thinking. So whoever was part of that think-tank, you need to praise them for sure,” Zaheer said while talking to JioCinema.
“The second Super Over started very well, (India) started with a six. So it seemed like India would bat Afghanistan out, but that didn’t happen. They lost two wickets and didn’t even play the entire six balls. After that, you had to take a big decision, about who would bowl. So that decision was taken very well because batters generally score 12 runs easily as the bowler makes mistakes due to the pressure on him, ” the 45-year-old said.
Meanwhile, with the win, India defeated Afghanistan 3-0 in the T20I series.