Indian cricket team emerged victorious in the run-fest thriller against Afghanistan in the third and final T20I at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Captain Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten hundred to help India score a total of 212 but three individual fifties from the travelling side took the game to two super overs where India recorded a win.
After 40 overs and 2 super overs, India emerged victorious to register a whitewash. India broke Pakistan's record for most series whitewash in T20I to clinch the ninth win in three or five-match series.
Having already secured the series, the management made three changes to their playing eleven after winning the toss. Sanju Samson, Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Yadav came in for Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh while Afghanistan made four changes with Qais Ahmad, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Saleem and Fareed Ahmad coming into the side.
India endured a poor start as they lost four wickets inside five overs with just 22 runs on the scoreboard. The pitch turned out hard to bat freely as India managed to score just 61 runs in the first ten overs at Cinnaswamy.
But Rohit and Rinku went big in the last ten overs by adding a record-breaking 190 runs for the fifth wicket. The duo pulled off the world record stand for the fifth wicket and highest partnership for any wicket for India.
Rohit top-scored with 121* off 69 balls while Rinku smashed an unbeaten 69 off just 39 balls. Rohit became the first player in the world to register five T20I centuries and also shattered Virat Kohli's record for most runs by an Indian captain in the shortest format.
Chaing a big target, Afghanistan also replied with three players scoring brilliant fifties. Both openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz added 93 runs for the opening wicket with both scoring 50 each. But it was Gulbadin Naib's 55* off just 23 that helped Afghanistan tie the target with four wickets remaining.
In the first super over, Afghanistan put in 16 runs while batting first but India managed to tie the total with Rohit hitting two sixes. India managed to score just 11 runs in the second super over but Ravi Bishnoi took two wickets in the first three balls to help India register a thrilling win.
India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan
Afghanistan Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Qais Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Fareed Ahmad Malik
