India prevailed over Afghanistan in the first ever men’s T20I to see two sets of Super Overs in an exhilarating and at times controversial contest at the Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru.

It was an extraordinary match from start to finish. Afghanistan, chiefly through the left-arm seam of Fareed Ahmad, reduced India to 22-4 after four overs. Ahmad dismissed both Virat Kohli and Sanju Samson first ball to leave India in disarray towards the end of the opening powerplay.

Rohit Sharma, scoring his first runs since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against England, then consolidated alongside the India No. 6 Rinku Singh. Initially, the pair looked to consolidate after India’s shaky start. After 11 overs, they had steadily built India up to a score of 65-4.

Rohit and Rinku then unleashed a stunning assault that saw them put on the highest fifth-wicket stand in the history of T20I cricket. An extraordinary 147 runs were scored off the final nine overs of the India innings as the India captain became the first player to score five T20I hundreds. Thirty-six runs were scored off the final over, bowled by Karim Janat, though this was with the help of a couple of extras.

The Chinnaswamy has a reputation for being one of the highest-scoring T20 grounds on the planet and it showed in the second innings as Afghanistan kept within arm’s reach of the steep asking rate. Afghanistan’s opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran both passed fifty, but by the time both were dismissed, the asking rate was up around 14 runs per over.

Zadran’s dismissal was immediately followed by that of Azmatullah Omarzai who fell first ball to the bowling of Washington Sundar. At this point, Afghanistan required 106 off 44 deliveries with Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Nabi both new to the crease.

The two all-rounders then launched a counter-attack to rival that of Rohit and Rinku’s earlier in the contest reducing the required rate to 12.75 runs per over with 24 balls left in the game. Nabi then fell for a 16-ball 34 as Washington bowled an outstanding 17th over that conceded just five runs leaving Afghanistan needing 46 off the final three overs.

Mukesh Kumar bowled the 18th over conceding 10 to maintain India’s initiative. Gulbadin then almost single-handedly tied the game for Afghanistan as 35 runs were scored off the final two overs bowled by Avesh Khan and Mukesh. It was then time for a Super Over.

Afghanistan hit 16 off their Super Over, albeit in controversial circumstances. They had scored 13 off the first five deliveries and when Mukesh beat Nabi’s bat with the final ball, it looked like India would need no more than 15 to win. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson had a shy at the stumps as the Afghanistan batters try to sneak through for a bye but his throw hit Nabi and then deflected towards long-on. This allowed Afghanistan to scamper through for an additional two runs despite protests from the India fielders, chiefly Virat Kohli who refused to throw the ball in from the boundary in protest.

Azmatullah delivered the Super Over for Afghanistan and when Rohit hit consecutive sixes, India only needed three to win off the final two deliveries. Rohit could only score a single off the next ball, leaving India with two to win with Yashasvi Jaiswal on strike. Then followed another moment of controversy as Rohit, set to be at the non-striker’s end, then retired himself allowing the faster runner Rinku Singh to take his place instead.

Jaiswal could only edge the final delivery, allowing Rinku to sprint through for a single that pushed the game through to a second Super Over – the first time a men’s T20I had gone through to a second Super Over.

Rohit came out to open for India once more but this time controversially. According to the ICC’s playing conditions, batters dismissed during the first Super Over cannot bat in subsequent Super Overs. It was assumed that Rohit was retired out previously.

Rohit then continued his excellent form, striking 10 off his first two deliveries (this time bowled by Fareed) before the wheels came off for India. Rinku and Rohit were then dismissed off consecutive balls to leave Afghanistan needing 12 to win. After much deliberation from the India management, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was tasked with bowling the second Super Over for India. It proved to be a masterstroke with Bishnoi accounting for Nabi and then Gurbaz within three deliveries to hand India with a famous victory.

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