Rohit Sharma, Prasidh Krishna Achieve Massive Record In India's 3rd ODI Against Afghanistan
India pacer Prasidh Krishna took five wickets in the third ODI against Afghanistan, with Rohit Sharma taking the catch for three of the dismissals.
Pacer Prasidh Krishna tore apart Afghanistan's top-order with a career-best 5 for 23 but skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi' valiant 102 carried his side to 218 all out against India in the third and final ODI in Chennai on Saturday. Opting to bat first, Afghanistan were in all sorts of trouble at 36 for four after Prasidh discovered the perfect length at the Chepauk pitch with a four-wicket burst during his opening spell. But Shahidi, who took 131 balls for his maiden ODI hundred, marshalled the remaining resources well to save Afghanistan some blushes.
The left-hander first milked 105 runs off 117 balls for the fifth wicket with Azmatullah Omarzai (50, 56b) and then a 57 runs off 53 balls for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi.
Before the Afghans mounted a rescue act, Prasidh hogged the limelight with a very fine spell marked by hitting the fuller length that tempted the batters to drive.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah, all attempted to drive outside the off-stump off Prasidh, giving regulation catches to Rohit Sharma at first slip.
It was the third time in India's ODI history that a fielder took three catches off the same bowler. VVS Laxman off Irfan Pathan against Zimbabwe in 2004 and Virat Kohli off Jasprit Bumrah against Bangladesh in 2018 are the two other instances. However, what made Rohit and Prasidh's combination special is that it was the first time a fielder and bowler combined for three consecutive wickets, and also the first three wickets.
Darwish Rasooli tried to pull the pacer, but Shreyas Iyer ran from mid-off to take a fine catch that gave Prasidh his fourth wicket inside the first 10 overs.
The Karnataka man also joined an elite list of pacers like Jasprit Bumrah, Javagal Srinath and Mohammed Siraj etc to have achieved that feat.
At 36 for four, a capitulation seemed imminent. But Shahidi and Omarzai resisted the Indian bowlers bravely, and often managed to score at over five runs an over.
Shahidi played the anchor role to perfection, and often used late cuts and little dabs to the gaps to collect runs and raised his fifty in 64 balls.
In contrast, Omarzai was more aggressive and brought up his half-century in 55 balls which contained sixes off left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and off-spinner Washington Sundar.
But a feeble pull off Prince Yadav ended in the hands of Prasidh at long leg.
However, Shahidi, who battled cramps after reaching 80, continued unfazed and scored his first one-day international century off 128 balls fittingly with a late cut four off Washington.
But once Nabi was departed wickets began to fall quickly around Shahidi, who had to conjure his last ounce of energy to bat through the pain barrier to take Afghanistan past the 200-run mark.
The tourists' otherwise modest was amplified by the five-run penalty imposed on them after Shahidi ran on the pitch's danger zone in the last ball of the 39th over.
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Rohit Sharma
India Cricket Team