Rohit’s Super Over dilemma: Retired out or Retired hurt

In the recent T20I match between India and Afghanistan, things got a bit crazy and left the cricketing fraternity scratching their heads. The game ended in a tie, prompting a Super Over, but even that didn’t settle the score as it turned into another tie.

The real head-scratcher came when Afghanistan raised an issue with the umpires. The side was not happy about Rohit Sharma getting a chance to bat again in the second Super Over. As per the laws of the game, Rohit was well within his rights to bat again since he hadn’t been dismissed in the first place and was retired hurt.

Rohit, who had showcased his prowess with an unbeaten 121 earlier in the day, played a pivotal role in the first Super Over. Needing two runs off the last ball, a strategic move saw him making way for Rinku Singh at the non-striker’s end.

India, having tied the first Super Over, faced another in the pursuit of victory. Remarkably, Rohit stepped up to the ground once again. With a six and a four off the first two balls, he propelled India to a total of 11 for 2, securing a dramatic win as Ravi Bishnoi sealed the deal with wickets off his first three deliveries.

Addressing the strange situation, India’s coach Rahul Dravid drew a parallel to an earlier instance in the IPL involving R Ashwin, praising Rohit’s strategic acumen.

“Taking himself out was Ashwin-level thinking,” Dravid said when he was asked about Rohit’s Super-Over swap, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Afghanistan’s coach, Jonathan Trott, expressed confusion about the lack of communication between officials and teams, not only regarding Rohit’s situation but also the choice of bowler for the second Super Over. Despite the confusion, Trott emphasized the excitement of the game, urging that the focus should remain on the thrilling match rather than the talking points.

“I have no idea. Has there ever been two Super Overs? That’s what I am trying to say. It’s sort of like a new… we keep setting these new sort of rules. What I am trying to say is we kept testing the rules, we kept testing the guidelines,” Trott said.

“It was not communicated. We wanted Azmat to bowl the second over again, Fareed bowled a great over. But those sort of things will be explained… because it has happened, these things will be explained and done in writing in the future. If those are the rules, that’s great. I just think we had a good game, and I don’t think that should be the talking point,” he added.