New Delhi: The fans who watched the third ODI between India and Afghanistan in Chennai were shocked when India’s innings started with a score of 5/0 before the ball was bowled.The unusual start was the result of a five-run penalty awarded to India during the Afghanistan innings after the captain. Hashmatullah Shahidi he ran repeatedly on the protected tarmac.
Why did India start at 5/0 against Afghanistan?
The event took place late in Afghanistan. Shahidi had already been warned by the umpires for entering a dangerous area running between the wickets. Despite being cautioned, he was again in the safe zone on the last ball of the 39th over.At first, there seemed to be confusion over who should face the next ball after one was taken. However, the referees also explained that Shahidi’s violation during the match led to the penalty.As a result, one was not counted and India were awarded five penalties, which were added to their score before the chase began. This meant that India started their innings at 5/0 and chased Afghanistan all out.The penalty overshadowed another innings for Shahidi, who scored his maiden ODI debut.Earlier, Afghanistan suffered a major setback after being reduced to 36/4 inside the first 10 overs. Prasidh Krishna jumped into the top order, removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Darwish Rasooli in a formidable opening performance.With Afghanistan on the ropes, Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai led the recovery. The pair added 105 runs for the fifth wicket, Omarzai delivering a quick 50 off 56 balls.Shahidi battled the pressure and pressure from the Indian bowlers but continued to hold the innings together. He eventually reached his maiden ODI hundred in the 44th over and finished with 102 from 131 balls, including 13 fours and a six.However, Afghanistan lost wickets quickly towards the end and were bowled out for 218. Prasidh returned to take Shahidi for his fifth wicket and finished with excellent figures of 5/23.
