Why did India start at 5/0 against Afghanistan? Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi's costly blunder explained

NEW DELHI: Fans watching the third ODI between India and Afghanistan in Chennai were left surprised when India's innings began with the score already reading 5/0 before a ball had been bowled.The unusual start was the result of a five-run penalty awarded to India during Afghanistan's innings after captain Hashmatullah Shahidi repeatedly ran on the protected area of the pitch.

Why did India start at 5/0 against Afghanistan?

The incident occurred late in Afghanistan's innings. Shahidi had already been warned by the umpires for entering the danger area while running between the wickets. Despite the warnings, he again stepped into the protected zone on the final ball of the 39th over.Initially, it appeared there had been confusion over who should face the next ball after a single was taken. However, the umpires later clarified that Shahidi's breach of the playing conditions had resulted in a penalty.As a result, the single was not counted and India were awarded five penalty runs, which were added to their score before the chase even began. That meant India started their innings at 5/0 while chasing Afghanistan's total.

The penalty overshadowed an otherwise fighting effort from Shahidi, who scored his maiden ODI century.Earlier, Afghanistan found themselves in deep trouble after being reduced to 36/4 inside the first 10 overs. Prasidh Krishna ripped through the top order, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Darwish Rasooli in a devastating opening spell.With Afghanistan on the ropes, Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai led the recovery.

The pair added 105 runs for the fifth wicket, with Omarzai contributing a brisk 50 off 56 balls.Shahidi battled cramps and pressure from the Indian bowlers but continued to hold the innings together. He eventually reached his maiden ODI hundred in the 44th over and finished with 102 from 131 balls, including 13 fours and a six.However, Afghanistan lost wickets quickly towards the end and were bowled out for 218. Prasidh returned to claim Shahidi as his fifth wicket and finished with career-best figures of 5/23.