Rohit Sharma’s comeback to T20I cricket faced a setback in the series opener against Afghanistan. The Indian skipper was unable to make an impact with the bat, getting dismissed for a duck. Playing a T20I match after a gap of nearly 14 months, Rohit experienced a run-out for zero due to a miscommunication in the middle with his opening partner, Shubman Gill.
On the second ball of India’s innings, Rohit Sharma played the ball to mid-off and immediately attempted to take a single. However, Shubman Gill focused on the ball and did not make any effort to go for the run. This miscommunication led to Rohit’s dismissal. After this, the Indian captain left the pitch in frustration and expressed his displeasure by shouting at Gill.
Rohit Sharma returned to T20I International cricket after a hiatus of 14 months, marking his first appearance in the format since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, where India faced a defeat against England.
It was an easy run. Shubman Gill did not moves from his place.Rohit Sharma was looking very angry ..!!#INDvsAFG pic.twitter.com/RYEaQcvVer
— narsa. (@rathor7_) January 11, 2024
In this match, played in Mohali, Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first. Batting after losing the match, the visitors posted a total of 158 runs at the loss of five wickets in the allotted 20 overs. For Afghanistan, Mohammed Nabi played a brilliant innings of 42 runs in just 27 balls with the help of 2 fours and three sixes. Azmatullah Omarzai contributed with 29 runs, while Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a knock of 23 runs.
For India, Mukesh Kumar and Axar Patel managed to grab two wickets each, while Shivam Dube got one wicket.
While chasing the target, India lost Rohit Sharma very early, and the Indian skipper returned to the dressing room without scoring any single run. After that, it was Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube who shined both with the bat and ball and took India home after collapsing while chasing the target.
Dube played a knock of 60 runs in 40 balls consisting of five fours and two sixes and also grabbed an important wicket of Ibrahim Zadran who was caught by the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. For this, the player was picked as the man of the match.
Apart from Dube, Jitesh Sharma also contributed with 31 runs off 20 balls and helped India clinch the first game of the three-match T20I series.
