A Historic Start in Chennai

In a remarkable display of coordination and precision, Prasidh Krishna and Rohit Sharma etched their names into the record books during the third and final ODI against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In a feat never seen before in India's extensive history of 1,078 One Day Internationals, the duo became the first bowler-fielder pair to account for the first three wickets of an innings.

The Three-Wicket Blitz

The drama began immediately after Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to bat. Prasidh Krishna struck with the very first delivery of the match, dismissing the dangerous opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 5. Gurbaz edged a delivery outside off stump, which flew straight to Rohit Sharma, stationed at first slip.

Krishna's disciplined line and length continued to menace the Afghan batting lineup. In the sixth over, Rahmat Shah became the second victim for 5 runs. Attempting to work a back-of-a-length delivery to the leg side, Shah produced a leading edge that was safely pouched by Rohit Sharma for the second time.

The hat-trick of catches was completed in the eighth over when Ibrahim Zadran attempted to drive away from his body. Once again, the ball found the outside edge and flew to first slip, where Rohit Sharma completed his third catch of the innings.

Breaking Down the Record

While Indian cricket has seen instances of a fielder taking three catches off a single bowler in an ODI, the specificity of this achievement is what makes it historic. Never before had these dismissals occurred as three consecutive wickets, nor had they been the first three wickets of an innings.

Other notable instances of three catches by a fielder off one bowler for India include:

• VVS Laxman off Irfan Pathan vs Zimbabwe (Perth, 2004)
• Shikhar Dhawan off Jasprit Bumrah vs Bangladesh (Dubai, 2018)
• Rohit Sharma off Prasidh Krishna vs Afghanistan (Chennai, 2026)

India currently holds a dominant 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with this early breakthrough putting Afghanistan on the back foot from the onset.