Rahmanullah Gurbaz kicks the ball to the boundary (screenshot)
Cricket briefly gave way to football at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday as Afghanistan wicket-keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz produced an extraordinary moment that left fans amused and anxious in equal measure during the third ODI against India.The incident occurred on the third ball of the third ball when pacer Fareed Ahmed hit a short single off Rohit Sharma. While attempting an aggressive shot, the Indian batsman only managed to hit the top edge which sailed over Gurbaz’s head.
The Afghan guard quickly ran back, desperate to save the border, but things took an unexpected turn.In a sequence that resembled a football action more than a cricket effort, Gurbaz failed to collect the ball cleanly and instead saw it bounce off his knees before sprinting wide towards the fence. The strange stopping attempt sparked laughter from onlookers.He watches:
However, the fun moment quickly turned into a cause for concern as Gurbaz was seen grabbing his knees and rubbing them in annoyance after the collision. The team’s physiotherapist rushed to check on him, but the wicket-keeper indicated that he was fine and asked for play to resume without further delay.The incident came on a difficult day for Afghanistan, who were limited to 218 after opting to bat first. Indian fast bowler Prasidh Krishna bowled a career-best 5 for 23, reducing the visitors to 36/4 in the first 10 overs.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi then made a brilliant save for his maiden ODI century. The left-hander scored 102 off 131 balls and shared key partnerships with Azmatullah Omarzai (50) and Mohammad Nabi to take his side past the 200-run mark.India won the match by nine wickets, with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal (110 not out) laying a solid foundation before Sharma departed with 79. With this score, Team India completed a 3-0 clean sweep over Afghanistan.