Team India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, downplayed the confrontation between Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Nabi after the first super over in the third T20I in Bangalore on Wednesday.
Following a tied match in the initial 20 overs, the competition moved into a one-over showdown to determine the winner. With Afghanistan at 13/1 after five balls, Nabi attempted a bye after missing a yorker from Mukesh Kumar. However, the throw from wicketkeeper Sanju Samson rebounded off Nabi’s pads to Virat Kohli at long-on. Despite the batters running two additional runs, Rohit Sharma expressed his displeasure.
There’s so much passion & emotion- Rahul Dravid
A heated discussion ensued between Nabi and Rohit, with the former seemingly unfazed by taking the extra runs after the ball deflected off his pads. During the press conference, Rahul Dravid addressed the situation and said,
“It can happen at the end. I think sometimes when you play for your country, there’s so much passion and emotion. I think it is incredible that even in dead-rubber games when it gets down to the wire, that competitiveness comes out, that passion comes out,”
“It’s fine. It’s part of the game. Some frustrations at times can happen but it is okay. It hit the non-striker and then it moved and I think it is fine, you know, you can run for those. To be honest, in the first T20I there was an incident where it hit the bat of our batsman and we ran a run as well. I think there’s nothing to read into, there’s nothing in the rules that stops you from actually running those runs. That’s fine, it’s part of the game,” Dravid added.
Regrettably for Afghanistan, the additional runs did not prove decisive, as India equaled the score at 16 during their batting. Consequently, the match proceeded to a second Super Over, where India emerged victorious by a margin of 10 runs.
Sometimes that passion and emotion is really important– Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid expressed the belief that the contentious moment underscored the passion between the two sides, emphasizing that such intensity is healthy for the sport as long as it remains within acceptable boundaries. However, tensions seemed to dissipate quickly as both teams redirected their focus to the second Super Over.
“As long as it doesn’t cross the line… that’s why we have match referees and people who are there to look at these things. I think sometimes a little bit of that passion and emotion is really important. It shows that people care. I think as long as it doesn’t cross the line, it’s great,” said Rahul Dravid.
India sealed the three-match series with a 3-0 sweep, maintaining their unbeaten T20I record against Afghanistan. The Men in Blue secured convincing victories in the first two games, winning by six wickets each and took an unassailable 2-0 lead before the thrilling encounter in Bangalore.