In the third and final match of the bilateral series, India defeated Afghanistan in the second super over at Bangalore’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after the match ended in a tie, with the first super over also ending in a tie.
India once again won the toss and opted to bat first. It was a delightful experience for fans as they witnessed one of the fantastic comeback innings with the bat from Team India. From being 22/4, the side ended with 212/4 in 20 overs, courtesy of some sublime batting from skipper Rohit Sharma (121*) and Rinku Singh (69*). Rohit posted his fifth century, becoming the first to achieve this feat, which included 11 fours and eight sixes. The 36-year-old batted aggressively and showcased some of the finest modern-day shots, which also totally overshadowed Rinku’s knock. To mention about the 29-year-old, the southpaw struck just two fours but six massive sixes. Both batters added 190 runs for the fifth wicket partnership, which is also now the highest partnership for any wicket for India in T20I format.
Chasing 213, the visitors got off to a good start with both openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (50) and Ibrahim Zadran (50), scoring fifties. Both batters amassed 93 runs for the first wicket partnership. It was all going smoothly for Afghanistan until the 13th over, after which the wickets kept falling, which certainly put them under pressure. Gulbadin Naib (55*), batting at number three, smashed a quickfire fifty in just 21 balls. The 32-year-old showcased some fireworks with the bat, helping his side just reach the same number of runs as India did. Naib managed to secure 18 runs off the last over, which ultimately tied the game.
For India with the ball, Washington Sundar plucked three wickets, while one wicket each was also bagged by Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Yadav.
Fareed Ahmad was the only bowler who looked impressive as he plucked three wickets. Azmatullah Omarzai also got one wicket.
There was still no winner in the game after witnessing 424 runs from 40 overs. The match then saw a dramatic twist, the Super Over. In the first one, Afghanistan scored 16 runs while batting first, to which India also responded with 16 runs, thus tying the Super Over. Rohit struck two sixes and a four in the second Super Over, and that proved to be sufficient as the visitors lost both of their wickets for only one run.
Rohit Sharma was adjudged Player of the Match, while Shivam Dube got the Player of the Series award. With this win, India have whitewashed Afghanistan by 3-0 in the T20I series.
Scorecard:
India: 212/4, Overs 20, Rohit Sharma 121*, Fareed Ahmad 3/20
Afghanistan: 212/6, Overs 20, Gulbadin Naib 55*, Washington Sundar 3/18