Image Credit- ICC
The Rohit Sharma controversy was a major talking point
after last night’s frantic double super over. Was Rohit Sharma injured or did
he retire out? After a thrilling conclusion to the third Twenty20 International
in Bengaluru, where India needed two Super Overs to defeat a determined
Afghanistan team, that question was left hanging.
The main point of dispute concerned Rohit, the captain
of India, who appeared to retire out of the first Super Over and was now
batting in the second. Playing conditions for Men’s T20Is set by the ICC state
that “[a]ny batsman dismissed in any previous Super Over shall be
ineligible to bat in any subsequent Super Over.”
Officials from the match have not yet stated if Rohit
left the game or retired injured. The batter is designated as “retired not
out” in the latter scenario and is free to bat again.
In India’s pursuit of 17, Rohit, who had earlier in
the day produced an undefeated 121, struck two sixes and a single off the
third, fourth, and fifth balls of the first Super Over. Rinku Singh replaced
Rohit at the non-striker’s end for India, with two runs needed off the final
delivery and Yashasvi Jaiswal set to face.
It was perhaps a tactical decision to let a faster
runner get involved on the final ball if Rohit retired out.
With the scores even once more, Jaiswal edged a single
off the final ball to send the game into a second Super Over. India, who had
been chased in the first Super Over, chose to bat first this time. Rohit
stepped out to bat, opening with Rinku this time.
After the game, India coach Rahul Dravid appeared to
imply that Rohit had retired himself, drawing comparisons between the moment
and R Ashwin’s 2022 IPL retirement, which would have been the first instance of
a tactical retirement in that competition.
“Taking himself out was Ashwin-level
thinking,” Dravid said when he was asked about Rohit’s Super-Over swap.
“That’s Ash-level thinking.”