Rohit Sharma in the 3rd T20I against Afghanistan© BCCI/Sportzpics
Indian captain Rohit Sharma produced the performance of his life in the third T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan on Wednesday. Rohit's unbeaten knock of 121 runs laid the foundation for an exciting clash that culminated after two Super Overs. While Rohit rightly received a lot of praise from fans on social media, a decision by him in the first Super Over sparked a major debate. With India needing two runs to win from the last ball of the first eliminator, Rohit decided to walk out, paving the way for Rinku Singh to replace him at the non-striker's end. But it was not clear whether he retired injured or retired.
Rohit then returned to the field for the second Super Over after Jaiswal failed to hit two runs off the last ball as the scores were level again. The question arose whether Rohit was even eligible to bat next.
As per the ICC playing conditions for the men's T20Is, “[a]Any batsman dismissed in a previous Super Over will not be eligible to bat in a subsequent Super Over.”
The controversy arose as the umpires were yet to clarify whether Rohit was injured or out. If Rohit was 'injured in retirement', he will be considered 'retired, not out' and eligible to bat again. But if he was 'retired', he was not eligible to bat a second time.
Rohit Sharma pulled back and sent Rinku Singh so he could run faster.
What a move. #INDvAFG #Superover #rohit pic.twitter.com/4vzjY6tKYr
— Arfat Khan (@Arfatkhan011) January 17, 2024
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit himself was overwhelmed after coming out to bat three times in the match.
“I can't remember the last time this happened. I think I struck three times in one of the IPL matches,” he said.
“Creating a partnership was important and we (Rinku and I) kept talking to each other not to lose that intention in big matches and it was a good match for us to play in, the pressure was there and it was important to to hit long and deep and not compromise on the intention we want to show.” Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran was satisfied with his team's effort that evening,” he added.
Topics mentioned in this article