Cricket briefly gave way to football at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday as Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz produced a rare moment that amused and worried the fans in equal measure during the third ODI against India.The incident happened on the third ball of the third over when pacer Fareed Ahmad bowled a short one Rohit Sharma. Attempting an aggressive shot, the Indian batsman managed only a top edge that flew over Gurbaz’s head. The Afghan keeper desperately ran backwards to save a boundary, but things took an unexpected turn.In a sequence that looked more like a football move than cricket, Gurbaz failed to gather the ball well and instead saw it bounce off his knees before scampering to the fence. The bizarre attempt to stop it caused laughter from the spectators.Watch: However, the lighthearted moment quickly turned into a cause for concern as Gurbaz was seen writhing and rubbing his knees in discomfort after the crash. The team physio rushed out to check on him, but the goalkeeper signaled that he was fine and asked for play to continue without further delay.The accident came on a difficult day for Afghanistan, who were restricted to 218 after opting to bat first. India pacer Prasidh Krishna opened with a career-best 5 for 23, reducing the visitors to 36/4 inside the first 10 overs.Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi then pulled off an incredible act of rescue with his maiden ODI century. The left-hander scored 102 off 131 balls and shared crucial partnerships with Azmatullah Omarzai (50) and Mohammad Nabi to take his side past the 200-run mark.India won the match by nine wickets, with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal (110 not out) laying a solid foundation before Sharma departed for 79. With this score, Team India finished 3-0 over Afghanistan.
