In a surprising turn of events during the third T20I match against Afghanistan in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli, the talismanic Indian cricket team captain, faced an unexpected setback as he was dismissed for a golden duck. This marked the first time in his T20I career that Kohli was dismissed without scoring a run. His dismissal came at a crucial moment, as he was just six runs away from reaching the historic milestone of 12,000 runs in T20 cricket.
Attempting an elevated shot off the bowling of Fareed Ahmad, Kohli miscued the delivery, leading to an easy catch for Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran at mid-off. This unforeseen event not only denied Kohli the opportunity to achieve the milestone but also left the Bengaluru crowd disappointed.
This golden duck became Kohli’s 35th in international cricket, making him the India specialist batter with the most ducks in the Top 7, surpassing the previous record held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who had 34 international ducks in his illustrious career. The overall record for the most ducks in international cricket belongs to Zaheer Khan with 44 ducks.
Despite Kohli’s early departure, Rohit Sharma, leading the Indian side, won the toss and elected to bat in the final T20I of the series. With a 2-0 lead in the series, India aimed to sweep the series and gain momentum ahead of the highly anticipated T20 World Cup scheduled later in the year in the West Indies and the United States.
The hosts made strategic changes in their lineup for the final T20I, bringing in Sanju Samson, Avesh Khan, and Kuldeep Yadav to replace Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, and Axar Patel, respectively. These alterations were aimed at fine-tuning the team’s composition and testing various combinations before the global T20 extravaganza.
As the match unfolded, all eyes were on India’s batting lineup to see if they could overcome the early setback caused by Kohli’s dismissal. The Bengaluru crowd, known for its passionate support, remained hopeful that the team would deliver a stellar performance in their last T20I outing before the T20 World Cup.
With the series at stake, the final T20I against Afghanistan became not just a contest for supremacy but also a crucial preparatory step for India as they geared up for the upcoming T20 World Cup, aspiring to make a mark on the global stage once again.