IND vs AFG 3rd T20I | Rohit Sharma's Heroics Sinks AFG In Historic Double Super-Over Thriller

Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh shared 190 runs together (BCCI)

Brief Scores: India: 212-4 (20 overs) [Rohit Sharma: 121* (69), Rinku Singh: 69* (39); Fareed Ahmad 3/20 (4), Azmatullah Omarzai 1/17 (4)] tied with Afghanistan: 212-6 (20 overs) [Gulbadin Naib: 55* (23), Rahmanullah Gurbaz: 50 (32); Washington Sundar 3/18 (3), Kuldeep Yadav 1/31 (3)]. India won the second Super Over.

Team India ravaged Afghanistan in the third T20I in a double super-over thriller at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to complete a 3-0 series sweep over their guests.

Rohit Sharma, Rinku Singh rush IND from 22-4 to 212

Indian captain Rohit Sharma, after winning the toss and opting to bat first for a change, lost opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, fellow senior teammate Virat Kohli and number five Sanju Samson all inside the powerplay courtesy of Fareed Ahmad’s sublime new-ball gambit. 

Ahmad’s pace mate Azmatullah Omarzai also accounted for India’s in-form batter Shivam Dube as the hosts slumped to 22-4 inside their first five overs.

Leading India’s recovery, captain Sharma unleashed calculated stroke-play alongside hard-hitting radical Rinku Singh and took his team past the 100-run mark by 13.2 overs.

The dashing opening batsman eventually completed his half-century from 41 balls, and converted it into a record-shattering fifth T20I ton in the penultimate over of the innings. 

Sharma ended up listing his career-best T20I score of 121* from just 69 balls, with the aide of 11 boundaries and eight soaring sixes. His partner-in-crime Rinku Singh himself registered his magnum opus knock for India at the time of crisis, making a six-laden 39-ball 69*.

The two cricketers shared 190 runs together for the fifth wicket to take India to a colossal 212-4 by the end of their 20 overs. Remarkably, both Sharma and Rinku pounded 36 of those runs from the final six balls of the innings, taking Afghanistan speedster Karim Janat to the cleaners in the last over.

Sundar takes three before Naib levels up for AFG

Up against a monumental task, Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran both produced tactical half-centuries and wiped out 93 runs off their target together from the first 11 overs. Their rebellious run-chase defiance was eventually halted by Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who deceived Gurbaz with a wrong'un.

Yadav’s spin mate Washington Sundar dismissed visiting skipper Zadran a while later, and also accounted for Azmatullah Omarzai off his very first ball as Afghanistan slumped from 93-0 to 107-3 in the space of 10 deliveries.

Rebuilding Afghanistan’s run-chase, Mohammad Nabi and number three Gulbadin Naib flogged India’s pace attack with planned precision, as the two cricketers formed 56 runs together from just 22 balls. Nabi blazed away with a 16-ball 34-run cameo, while Gulbadin steered his side towards a thrilling tie in the final over of the match.

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At a time when Afghanistan required 36 runs from 12 balls, Gulbadin plundered successive big overs off Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar to finish with a sizzling 23-ball 55*.

India prevails after two sets of Super Overs

Afghanistan scored 16 runs off the back of big hitting from Mohammad Nabi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz against Mukesh Kumar in their opening super-over attempt. Even though Rohit Sharma belted successive sixes in India’s response, his side failed to overhaul their 17-run target after Yashasvi Jaiswal mistimed the final ball against Azmatullah Omarzai.

Sharma carried his fine tune in the following super over, this time taking Fareed Ahmad to the cleaners with a six and a four upfront. Having raced to 11 off the first three balls, Rinku Singh and Sanju Samson departed without adding a run to India’s credit.

Chasing 12 to avoid a series whitewash, Nabi and Gurbaz failed to counter Ravi Bishnoi as both fell in the space of three balls to concede their near 44-over thriller in Bengaluru to the hosts.

The outcome eventually granted India a comprehensive 3-0 series whitewash over their guests.

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