History was made at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai during the third ODI between India and Afghanistan. Indian speedster Prasidh Krishna and former captain Rohit Sharma teamed up to dismantle the Afghan top order, claiming the first three wickets of the innings. In a remarkable display of fiery, precise bowling, Prasidh repeatedly found the outside edge, and Rohit made no mistakes in the slips and pouched all the catches. This unique feat marks the absolute first time in India’s extensive 1,078-match ODI history that a bowler-fielder duo has combined to take the first three consecutive wickets of a match.
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Prasidh Krishna-Rohit Sharma script history in Chennai
While Indian cricket has seen a fielder take three catches off a single bowler in an ODI twice before, this specific achievement is entirely unique. Previously, VVS Laxman accomplished this off Irfan Pathan’s bowling against Zimbabwe in 2004, and Shikhar Dhawan did the same off Jasprit Bumrah against Bangladesh in 2018. However, neither of those prior instances involved capturing three consecutive wickets, let alone completely wiping out the opposition's top three to open the innings.
Prasidh set the tone immediately by striking on his very first delivery, tearing through Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a beautiful outswinger that flew straight to Rohit at first slip. The right-arm pacer didn't let up, relentlessly attacking the channel just outside off-stump. By generating a lethal mix of raw pace, sharp seam movement, and uncomfortable bounce, he kept the Afghan batters completely under pressure throughout his dominant opening spell.
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Prasidh breaks Afghans' back
Prasidh's tactics paid off once more when Rahmat Shah nicked a challenging delivery straight to Rohit. Shortly after, Ibrahim Zadran fell in identical fashion, becoming the third consecutive victim of this lethal bowler-fielder partnership. Prasidh wasn’t done dominating the powerplay, either; he later dismissed Darwish Rasooli to claim his fourth wicket, using sharp, extra bounce to force an awkward mis-hit that Shreyas Iyer safely secured with a brilliant catch.
This spectacular opening burst etched both players deeper into the record books. For Prasidh, it marked only the seventh time in ODI history that an Indian fast bowler has taken four or more wickets within the first ten overs of an innings. On the fielding side, it was just the third time a single player has caught the first three wickets to fall in an ODI match.
Ultimately, this masterclass in seam bowling and sharp catching completely broke the back of the opposition's batting lineup. The devastating combination left Afghanistan reeling at a dismal 36/4, firmly placing India in a dominant position early in the contest.
However, Hashmatullah and Azmatullah Omarzai then combined to stitch a solid 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket until Prince Yadav sent the latter packing in the 29th over. As of 32.5 overs Afghanistan were placed at 164/4.