India secured victory over Afghanistan in a thrilling second Super Over to complete a T20I series sweep, following a tied third match that saw Rohit Sharma’s remarkable century on Wednesday.
Leading the Indian side, Rohit Sharma made history as the first batsman to achieve five T20 international centuries, scoring an unbeaten 121 off 69 balls, rescuing the hosts from a precarious 22-4 to a formidable 212-4 in Bengaluru.
Afghanistan responded with determination, as Gulbadin Naib’s unbeaten 55 off 23 balls propelled them to 212-6, leveling the scores with two runs off the final delivery. The subsequent Super Over mirrored the 2019 50-over World Cup final, ending in a tie. However, India clinched the victory in the second Super Over, scoring 11-2 with Rohit contributing all the runs in the opening three balls. Ravi Bishnoi, the Indian spinner, conceded just one run and claimed two wickets to seal the win.
Earlier, Rohit, who had faltered in the first two matches, showcased a spectacular performance, hitting 11 fours and eight sixes, partnering with Rinku Singh (69 not out off 39 balls) to add 190 runs.
In the chase, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s 50 each set the tone with a 93-run opening partnership. Despite Mohammad Nabi’s quickfire 34 and Gulbadin Naib’s heroics in the final over, the match ended in a tie.
Spinner Washington Sundar’s figures of 3 - 8 highlighted India’s bowling effort, but the spotlight remained on Rohit, surpassing Glenn Maxwell and Suryakumar Yadav with five T20 tons.
The final T20 international before the T20 World Cup in June saw a rain of sixes in the last five overs, propelling India to 103 runs. Rohit and Rinku’s explosive finish included a six off a no-ball in the final over.
Having already secured the series with two wins, India now looks ahead to hosting England for a five- test series before the Indian Premier League T20 tournament.
