India beat Afghanistan in a high-scoring thriller in the third and final T20I, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, on Wednesday (Jan 17). After an unassailable 2-0 lead, India made some changes in their playing XI and opted to bat first. The match went into the Super Over after both sides ended with 212 apiece, with Indian captain Rohit Sharma ending with a score of 121 not out. After the first Super Over also didn’t separate both sides, it went into the second Super Over where India won to inflict a series whitewash.Â
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In the first Super Over, both ended with 16 runs each whereas India set a 12-run target for Afghanistan in the second Super Over and defended it with Ravi Bishnoi striking twice in his first three deliveries. Many hailed Rohit for trusting leg spinner Bishnoi to bowl against the Afghan big-hitters. After the match, head coach Rahul Dravid lauded Rohit for making a ‘great call’ to bring in Bishnoi.Â
After the match, Dravid said, as quoted by Cricbuzz, “I think Rohit went with his gut, he went with a call… I think he felt that the spinner had a better chance to take those two wickets. It was one of games when 11 wasn’t probably a huge score and where you know that if they batted those six balls, with the power they had, they probably would’ve got the 12 runs. You needed to take two wickets.”
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Dravid added, “I think it was a great call from the skipper to go with the spinner. He could’ve gone for two sixes but I thought Bishnoi was brilliant, because he bowled two superb balls. He pulled the length back… if the length had gone slightly fuller, the way they were batting, on this small ground it would’ve gone for a six. I think it was really good gut call from Rohit to go for the wickets and be more positive rather than probably a safer option which people would’ve expected.”
Meanwhile, Bishnoi stated at the presentation ceremony, “The pressure was there, the heartbeat was racing, but I was confident about getting the job done. I was told by the captain that I’ll bowl – I knew it wouldn’t be easy for them if I bowl back of the length ball, it would be tough to smash on the back foot. It gives a lot of pleasure to defend during the super overs.”
Early in the game, India opted to bat and were reeling at 22-4 before Rohit’s 121* and Rinku Singh’s 69* helped the team post 212/4. In reply, Afghanistan rode on openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s 50 each along with Gulbadin Naib’s quickfire 55* and Mohammed Nabi’s 16-ball 34 not out to post 212/6. In the first Super Over, Afghanistan set a 17-run target for the hosts. After India also ended with 16 runs, they set a 12-run target for the opposition where Afghanistan managed only a run.
This was India’s final T20I heading into the T20 World Cup, to be held in West Indies and USA in June this year.
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