![Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz [Source: screengrab]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1781960396148_Rohit_Sharma(1).jpg?type=hq)
Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz [Source: screengrab]
Team India got off to a flying start against Afghanistan in the third ODI in Chennai. Firebrand opener Yashasvi Jaiswal started off with a flurry of boundaries in the first over against Azmatullah Omarzai to race to 18-0 in a chase of 219.
Rohit Sharma also got going with successive boundaries off Fareed Ahmed in the third over of the Indian innings.
However, the legendary opener received some unexpected assistance from Afghanistan wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz for his first boundary of the evening.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz ‘kicks’ a boundary for Rohit Sharma
The hilarious incident occurred during the third over of the Indian innings at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, June 20.
With Rohit Sharma batting on 1* off seven deliveries, the legendary Indian opener attempted to pull Afghanistan paceman Fareed Ahmad, only to manage an outside edge onto the ball.
Also Read- Rohit Sharma’s ODI Future At Stake In IND vs AFG 3rd ODI At Chennai
The ball went flying over the head of wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who gave the ball a good chase before getting hit on his knee and accidentally kicking the ball towards the boundary ropes himself.
India restricts Afghanistan to 218 in third ODI
Bowling first, Team India restricted Afghanistan to 218 in 44.2 overs. After taking four wickets with the new ball, Indian speedster Prasidh Krishna also struck with the old ball through the wicket of visiting captain Hashmatullah Shahidi to claim exceptional figures of 5-23.
Gurnoor Brar (1-49), Prince Yadav (1-38) and Harsh Dubey (1-38) also picked up a wicket each in the innings.
For Afghanistan, captain Shahidi top scored in the innings with a regal century, composing 102 runs off 131 balls with 13 boundaries and a six. The cricketer shared a 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket with half-centurion Azmatullah Omarzai to lift his side from a precarious 36-4 to 141-5.
However, another batting collapse ensured Afghanistan failed to capitalize on Shahidi’s century and his counterattacking partnership.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma blaze India past 100
Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma blazed India past the 100-run mark inside the first 13 overs of the innings. Chasing 219 for a win and to record a rare 3-0 series sweep, Jaiswal punished Azmatullah Omarzai with an 18-run opening over, before Sharma broke the shackles with a couple of boundaries off his own.
Jaiswal notched up a half-century from 39 balls to record only his second fifty-plus score in the format.
For Rohit, the match holds added significance amid his form as well as fitness concerns. With the simultaneous insurgence of dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, the selectors surely have a bold call to make in India’s road towards the next year’s 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
In any case, the former Indian skipper will be expected to take flight for India in next month’s three-match ODI tour of England.
Also Read- Revealed: Why India Started Run Chase With 5/0 vs Afghanistan Without A Ball Bowled?
