Xplorich
Cricket briefly gave way to football at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday as Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz produced an unusual moment that left fans amused and concerned in equal measure during the third ODI against India.The incident occurred on the third ball of the third over when pacer Fareed Ahmad banged one short to Rohit Sharma. Attempting an aggressive shot, the Indian batter only managed a top edge that sailed over Gurbaz’s head. The Afghanistan keeper sprinted back desperately to save the boundary, but things took an unexpected turn.In a sequence that resembled a football move more than a cricketing effort, Gurbaz failed to gather the ball cleanly and instead saw it ricochet off his knees before racing away to the fence. The bizarre stop attempt drew laughter from spectators.Watch: However, the light-hearted moment quickly turned into a cause for concern as Gurbaz was seen clutching and rubbing his knees in discomfort after the collision. The team physio rushed out to check on him, but the wicketkeeper signalled that he was fine and asked for play to resume without further delay.The mishap came on a difficult day for Afghanistan, who were restricted to 218 after electing to bat first. India pacer Prasidh Krishna starred with a career-best 5 for 23, reducing the visitors to 36/4 inside the opening 10 overs.Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi then staged a remarkable rescue act with his maiden ODI century. The left-hander scored 102 off 131 balls and shared key partnerships with Azmatullah Omarzai (50) and Mohammad Nabi to steer 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 for 79. With this result, Team India completed a 3-0 clean sweep over Afghanistan.
