Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the third T20 cricket match between India and Afghanistan, at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru. (PTI Photo)
Shai Hope struck another century as West Indies beat India by 24 runs in the fourth Twenty20 in Hyderabad on Wednesday to level the five-match series at 2-2.Chasing 248, India got off to a quick start, with Sanju Samson reaching his half-century in just 20 balls before Keemo Paul dismissed him for 56.
Shreyas Iyer added 16 off 11 balls, while Abhishek Sharma scored 29 before Gudakesh Motie sent the opener back. India mounted another push towards the end through Nitish Kumar Reddy and Tilak Varma, who put together 70 runs off just 32 balls to keep the chase alive.Varma was dismissed for 43, while Paul removed Reddy and took two more wickets in the 19th over, bringing India's chase to a halt. The lower order could not offer much resistance as India were bowled out for 223.Bengaluru will host the series-deciding T20I on Saturday.
What happened when India last played a T20I in Bengaluru
India last played a T20I in Bengaluru on January 17, 2024, when they faced Afghanistan in the third and final match of the series. India had already secured the series by winning the first two games.But the final match was far from a dead rubber. It produced a series of dramatic moments, including two Super Overs and a controversial episode involving Rohit Sharma.
In the first Super Over, Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz ran extra runs after the ball deflected off Nabi's body on the final delivery. The incident left Virat Kohli angry, with the India batter seen clapping in Nabi's face.
The drama continued moments later. With two runs needed off the final ball of first super over, Rohit, who was at the non-striker's end, walked off to allow Rinku Singh to take over the running.
However, Yashasvi Jaiswal's bottom edge went straight to the wicketkeeper, and India could manage only a single, leaving the first Super Over tied.Rohit was ready to bat again in the second Super Over. Under point 22 of Appendix F of the playing conditions, a batter who had retired could return only if the retirement had been due to injury, illness or "any other unavoidable cause".Earlier in the match, Rohit had won the toss and elected to bat.
India suffered a disastrous start, losing four wickets inside the powerplay. Jaiswal fell at 18 in the third over, Kohli was dismissed at the same score in the fourth, Shivam Dube departed at 21, and India lost their fourth wicket at 22.Rohit kept the innings together and combined with Rinku for a 190-run partnership for the fifth wicket. India recovered from 22/4 to finish at 212/4, with Rohit scoring 121 off 69 balls and Rinku making 69 off 38 deliveries.Rohit became the first batter to score five centuries in T20 internationals, rescuing India from a position where they had lost four wickets for just 22 runs.Afghanistan matched India's total, forcing the match into a Super Over. Gulbadin Naib led their fightback with 55 off 23 balls.Naib and Gurbaz came out to bat in the first Super Over, which was bowled by Mukesh Kumar. A mix-up between the batters resulted in Naib being run out.
Gurbaz and Nabi then scored runs before the controversial final delivery.The batters ran a bye, but the throw from wicketkeeper Sanju Samson deflected off Nabi's leg towards long-on. The pair ran two more runs. Rohit and his teammates were unhappy with the outcome, though the running was within the rules.India needed 17 runs to win the first Super Over. Rohit hit Azmatullah Omarzai for two successive sixes to leave India needing three runs off the final two balls.
With two runs required from the last delivery, Rohit retired hurt to allow Rinku, the quicker runner, to take over. But Jaiswal could only edge the ball towards the wicketkeeper, and India managed just one run, leaving the Super Over tied.
India clinch the second Super Over
By the time the second Super Over began, Rohit had already spent a long time at the crease. He nevertheless hit Fareed Ahmad for a six and a four to give India a strong start. Rinku was dismissed off the first ball, however, and Samson then ran Rohit out, leaving Afghanistan with a target of 12.
India handed the ball to leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, and he delivered under pressure. Nabi flat-batted a short delivery straight to the fielder at long-off on the first ball, while Gurbaz fell on the third delivery after attempting a similar shot.India won the second Super Over to seal the match after one of the most eventful finishes in T20I cricket.