The third and final T20I between India and Afghanistan turned out to be a historic encounter as two Super Overs were needed to separate the teams for the first time in international cricket. India and Afghanistan both finished with 212 runs on the board in the allotted 20 overs, and in the first Super Over, both teams scored 16. India eventually emerged victorious in the second Super Over. The match had several noteworthy moments, including a record partnership between Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh, Gulbadin Naib’s batting, and Virat Kohli’s fielding. One peculiar incident involved Mohammad Nabi running for byes despite the ball deflecting off his legs in the first Super Over.
During the last ball of the first Super Over, Mukesh Kumar bowled a perfect wide yorker to Nabi, who failed to make contact with the ball. Non-striker Rahmanullah Gurbaz attempted to steal a single, and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, instead of attempting a run-out, lobbed the ball back to the bowler with an underarm throw. The ball hit Nabi’s leg and deflected towards long-on. Nabi, seizing the opportunity, ran for a second and took a third as the Indian fielders were unaware. Despite protests from Rohit Sharma, the runs stood legit, giving Afghanistan two extra byes in the Super Over, extending their total to 16.
The incident raised a debate on the spirit of the game, but according to the laws, Nabi did nothing wrong. He was running to the non-striker’s end without knowledge of where the ball was heading, and the deflection off his leg was a matter of destiny. The episode resembled the World Cup final with Ben Stokes, highlighting the debate on whether rules should be adjusted to shift the onus from players, similar to batters not offering a shot and not being allowed to run if the ball deflects off their body. The question arises whether a similar principle could be introduced for overthrows or when the ball hits the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
‘Nothing that stops you from running those’: Dravid defends Nabi
In the post-match press conference, India’s head coach Rahul Dravid defended Mohammad Nabi’s actions and expressed no concerns about what Nabi did during the game. Dravid even mentioned that an Indian batter had done something similar in the series earlier. The incident in question appears to be related to the running of extra byes, and Dravid suggested that there was nothing wrong with such actions.
“No, it’s fine. It’s part of the game. It can be frustrating if you are at the receiving end but it’s okay, it happens. I think you can [run] for those. There was an incident in the first match where I think it hit the bat of one of our batters and we ran a run. Nothing in the rules that stops you from running those runs,” he informed reporters.
In the context of the match, those two extra byes proved to be crucial, leading to a tied first Super Over. The second Super Over saw India scoring 11 runs, while Afghanistan lost their two allotted wickets for just 1 run. Dravid’s comments imply that he sees no issue with the strategic decisions made during the game, emphasizing that such actions are within the rules of the sport.
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