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Despite Being Dead Rubber, IND vs AFG Was Still The Most Eventful Match Of Asia Cup

This was India's 9th tied match in the history of ODI cricket

India vs Afghanistan was a dead rubber. Team India has been playing in a sublime form throughout the tournament, whereas Afghanistan struggled to go past the finish line in a series of close matches. The first surprise of the day came during the toss. MS Dhoni was given the captainship to lead the ODI team for the 200th time as Rohit Sharma was given rest. If that was not enough, all the players who had not got a chance were given a go against Afghanistan to prove their might.

Despite the major changes in the playing XI, most of us expected India to dominate Afghanistan but that did not happen. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad went after Indian bowlers. It seems like he was almost ignorant of the fact that wickets were falling on the other end. Shahzad went on to register his 5th ODI century. He scored 124 runs off 116 balls, helping his side post a respectable total of 252 for 8.

We got to see another Dhoni special from behind the stumps. No, we are not talking about the stumping he pulled off in a fraction-of-a-second, but the way he silenced Kuldeep Yadav’s appeal to change the field.

The second half of the match was going on as everyone expected it to be. Ambati Rayudu and Lokesh Rahul plummeted the Afghan bowling attack until the spinners came into play. What seemed like an easy win turned into a disaster after Rayudu’s wicket. Moreover, Rahul wasted the only review. Little did he know that it would be one of the reasons why India won’t win the match.

Skipper MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik became victims of poor umpiring by Gregory Brathwaite. Umpiring his 34th ODI, Gregory made two terrible decisions by adjudging Dhoni and Karthik leg-before-out. Both the batsmen were stunned by the decisions as the replay showed that the ball was clearly missing the leg stump and it could have been reversed if India had reviews left in the bag.

Wickets fell and the equation between the runs and balls tilted in Afghanistan’s favour. Ravindra Jadeja tried to bat with the tail and almost succeeded. There is also debate over the first-ball boundary he hit. Some believe it went all the way and India were robbed of 2 runs at a crucial juncture in the game.

On the penultimate delivery, the match got tied as Jadeja picked out the only fielder outside the 30-yard circle. After 504 runs and 599 balls, the teams could not yield a result.

Emotions were high in the dressing room as well as in the stadium. Indian players could not believe what had just happened. Similar was the case with the audience. A Sikh father was seen consoling his kid after the tie. The drama turned out to be too much for the young kid.

ALSO READ: MS Dhoni Dismissing Kuldeep Yadav’s Fielding Change Is All You Need To Watch Today

After the match ended, it was the sportsman spirit which was the winner. Rashid Khan and Shahzad consoled the Sikh kid, clicking pictures with him. It was just a game, after all. Well, that’s what Indian players would have told themselves who just got a wake-up call before the final, whether against Bangladesh or Pakistan.

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