India vs Afghanistan 2024 Highlights: 3 moments that generated buzz among fans in 3rd T20I ft. Rohit Sharma
India completed a sensational win over Afghanistan in what was the longest T20I ever played in the third match of the series at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. A sensational hundred from Rohit Sharma (121* off 69 balls) coupled with a sizzling cameo from Rinku Singh (69* off 39 balls) ensured the Men in Blue got to 212/4 despite reeling at 22/4 at one stage.
While it seemed Afghanistan would have a mountain too steep to climb, a handy cameo of 34 from Mohammad Nabi and an unbeaten 55 from Gulbadin Naib helped Afghanistan tie the game.
The two teams could not be separated after one Super Over and it was Ravi Bishnoi who held his nerve in the second one to hand India a thrilling win. On that note, let's take a look at the three moments from the game that grabbed the attention of fans on social media:
#3 Rohit Sharma's record fifth T20I hundred
After a couple of ducks in the two games, there were a lot of questions raised about Rohit Sharma's T20I future. The veteran opener began his innings in Bengaluru with some real struggle and had to consolidate as India kept losing wickets in clusters.
However, once Rohit reached his half-century, he showed glimpses of his vintage best as he tore into the Afghanistan bowling attack. He added a ridiculous 190 runs for the fifth wicket with Rinku Singh and took the Men in Blue to a daunting total. Fans were thrilled to see Rohit discover his very best just when questions were rising about his spot in the team.
#2 Virat Kohli's acrobatic save
Despite the daunting total on the board, Afghanistan were in the fight thanks to a sensational partnership between Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib. Once Nabi was dismissed, Karim Janat looked to up the ante right from the get-go.
With 48 runs needed off 20 deliveries, Janat tried to pump a delivery from Washington Sundar over Virat Kohli's head at long-on. However, the sheer fitness and agility from Kohli was on display as he leaped and almost plucked the ball out of thin air to put it back into play.
Given how the match ended, the fans realized that a little moment of brilliance from Kohli was the difference between India winning and losing.
#1 Rohit Sharma's argument with Mohammad Nabi
Afghanistan had already scored 13 runs in their five balls of the first Super Over and Mohammad Nabi then tried to steal a bye as Sanju Samson collected the delivery and threw it towards the striker's end. While the ball missed the stumps, it deflected off the back of Nabi's leg and made its way to Virat Kohli at long-on.
Both Kohli and Indian captain Rohit Sharma were agitated to see the Afghanistan batters take the extra two runs because of the deflection. Rohit even had an argument with Nabi in the middle, with the latter probably explaining that it was an unintentional deflection.
It did make a difference in that particular Super Over as it ended in a tie instead of what could have been a comfortable Indian win. Both players seemed to have sorted out their differences when the two teams shook hands.