The third T20I between India and Afghanistan was all about Rohit Sharma. The Indian captain was at his best all over and the game took place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
It was a perfect outing for him as he gave a solid reply to his haters and slammed a magnificent ton. The batter oozed his class and his innings came at the time when India was reeling at 22/4 after winning the toss and opting to bat first.
Not only with the bat but Rohit Sharma also was aggressive on the field. This was quite evident when he didn’t go easy on the umpire after the official denied giving no ball for the waist height. It happened during the last ball of the 14th over.
Saleem Safi bowled a high delivery and Rohit mistimed it for a single. As soon as he went to the non-striker’s end, he asked the umpire for the no-ball, who refused to give it. This didn’t go well with the captain as looked agitated and had some harsh words to say.
Rohit Sharma even signalled for the review in frustration. He surely wasn’t amazed by the umpire’s call. Even on the replays, it showed it was a clear no-ball and the crowd also got behind skipper Sharma.
Here’s the video:
— Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) January 17, 2024
Rohit Sharma after that incident went berserk and went on the rampage. He slammed Afghanistan bowlers all over the park and didn’t put a foot wrong. The batter after bagging two ducks in two games made a big contribution.
Rohit Sharma slammed his 5th ton in the T20Is and ended with the knock of unbeaten 121 runs off 69 balls. He batted with a strike rate of 175.36 to go with 11 fours and 8 sixes in his innings. His innings powered India to a total of 212 runs on the board.
IND vs AFG: Was important to bat long and deep – Rohit Sharma
After the match was over, Rohit Sharma was in praise of young batter Rinku Singh, who scored an unbeaten 69 runs and added 190 runs in partnership with the skipper. He highlighted how the left-hander stays calm under pressure and knows his strength well.
Rohit Sharma said that Rinku Singh playing the way he is a good sign for the team going ahead. He admitted that they needed someone to finish the innings and the batter is playing the role perfectly. Speaking at the post-match presentation, he explained:
“I don’t remember when was the last time this happened. I think I batted 3 times in one of the IPL games. Creating the partnership was important and we (Rinku and I) kept talking to each other to not lose that intent in big games and it was a good game for us to be in, the pressure was there and was important to bat long and deep and not compromise on the intent we want to show.
“The last couple of series that he played, he showed what he can do with the bat. Very calm and knows his strength pretty well. He is coming off age and doing what is expected of him and he has done really well for India. Augurs well for the team moving forward, wanted someone like that at the backend and we know what he has done in the IPL and he has carried that to the Indian colors as well.”
India clinched the series by a margin of 3-0. It was the last series for them before the T20 World Cup 2024.
