Why did India start 5-0 against Afghanistan in the third ODI? He explained captain Hashmatullah Shahidi’s costly mistake

ByTech Word News

Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: Fans watching the third ODI between India and Afghanistan in Chennai were in for a surprise when India’s innings started at 5/0 before a ball was bowled.The unusual start was a result of the five-run penalty awarded to India during Afghanistan’s innings after captain Hashmatullah Shahidi repeatedly ran into the protected area of ​​the pitch.

Why did India start 5-0 against Afghanistan?

The incident occurred late in Afghanistan’s innings. Shahidi had already been warned by the umpires for entering the danger area while running between the wickets. Despite the warning, he stepped into the protected zone again on the final ball of the 39th over.Initially, there seemed to be confusion over who should face the next ball after a single was played. However, the referees later clarified that Shahidi’s violation of the playing conditions resulted in a penalty.As a result, the single did not count and India were awarded five penalty runs, which were added to their score before the chase even began. This meant that India started their innings on 5/0 while chasing Afghanistan’s total.The penalty overshadowed an otherwise combative effort by Shahidi, who scored his maiden ODI century.Earlier, Afghanistan found themselves in deep trouble after being reduced to 36/4 in the first 10 overs. Prasidh Krishna tore through the top order, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Darwish Rasooli in a devastating opening spell.With Afghanistan on the ropes, Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai led the recovery. The pair added 105 runs for the fifth wicket with Omarzai contributing a brisk 50 off 56 balls.Shahidi struggled with cramps and pressure from the Indian bowlers but continued to hold the innings together. He eventually reached his maiden ODI hundred in the 44th over, finishing with 102 off 131 balls, including 13 fours and a six.However, Afghanistan quickly lost wickets towards the end and were bowled out for 218. Prasidh came back to claim Shahidi as his fifth wicket to finish with career best figures of 5/23.