Rohit Sharma hits record-breaking century but Afghanistan tie match, then tie Super Over in dramatic clash in Bengaluru
India have beaten Afghanistan in a heart-stopping T20 International but needed two Super Overs to complete a 3-0 series sweep on a night of high drama in Bengaluru.
The home side had already bagged the series 2-0 with back-to-back wins in Mohali and Indore, rendering the result of the match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium academic – but the final match provided the most drama as Afghanistan, replying to India’s mammoth 4-212, racked up 6-212, leading to deadlock.
In the supposedly decisive Super Over to decide a match which had been decorated by a record-breaking hundred from India captain Rohit Sharma, Afghanistan managed 1-16, which India then matched to take the match into a second six-ball shootout.
This time, India scored 2-11 before spinner Ravi Bishnoi finally sealed their victory in three deliveries, conceding just one run and taking two wickets.
“My heart-rate was high, but we had a lot of fun,” leg-spinner Bishnoi said.
“The moment we saw two right-handers come out, I was given the ball.
“The idea was to bowl back-of-length to begin with from a little behind the crease.”
Earlier, India had looked in real trouble after they slumped to 4-22 inside five overs after electing to bat.
Virat Kohli was one of six players to record a golden duck in the match // AFP
But skipper Rohit smashed an unbeaten 121 off 69 balls as he and Rinku Singh, who hammered 69 not out, rescued India with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 190 off just 95 balls.
Rohit hit 11 fours and eight sixes in his fifth T20I century, going past compatriot Suryakumar Yadav and Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, who both have four hundreds each in the short format.
Karim Janat bled 36 runs in the final over of the Indian innings conceding five sixes in that seven-ball over that included a no-ball.
Rohit’s fifth hundred in T20 Internationals was studded with eight sixes, while Rinku clobbered six sixes in his 39-ball blitz.