Was Rohit Sharma retired hurt or retired out? Fans and Afghanistan players might still be scratching their heads over that but India coach Rahul Dravid saw the funny side of it. He called Rohit’s tactics similar to how Ravichandran Ashwin would have thought. For those who missed out, Rohit Sharma walked off just before the sixth delivery of the Super Over 1 in IND vs AFG 3rd T20.
“Taking himself out was Ashwin level thinking. That’s Ash-level thinking. But honestly, he was brilliant today,” Rahul Dravid said on JioCinema, jokingly while praising Rohit Sharma, who hit a brilliant 121 under pressure, taking India from 22/4 to 212/4 in IND vs AFG 3rd T20.
Did Rohit Sharma cheat?
It was the 6th ball of the Super Over 1 when Rohit Sharma was on the non-striker’s end and he decided to walk off. Even though it seemed Rohit was retiring out, something that Ravichandran Ashwin had done for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022.
Rohit Sharma seemed to have repeated the feat. But then, he came out to bat again in Super Over 2, leaving Afghanistan players baffled.
Later, it became clear that Rohit Sharma retired hurt and the on-field umpires accepted his decision. However, had he retire out, he would have been ineligible to bat again in the Super Over 2.
And there was a confusion while he was retired hurt or retired out.
India went on to win IND vs AFG 3rd T20 by 10 runs in a dramatic double Super Over. Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten 121 after drawing two consecutive blanks. And Rahul Dravid couldn’t be happier.
“He showed what a class player he can be. We were 22/4 and even when I went in the 10th over, the talk was always about being positive. He protected the game a little bit but always had the mindset to go hard. That level of hitting… the range he has… it’s hard to bowl at him. It’s just good to have him back,” Rahul Dravid said.