India awarded 5 penalty runs before ball bowled in Chennai ODI
In a rare incident during the third ODI between India and Afghanistan at Chepauk, Chennai, the Indian innings started with 5/0 on the scoreboard before a single ball was bowled. This unusual advantage came after Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was penalised for running on the restricted area of the pitch for the second time.
The incident occurred on the last delivery of the 40th over of Afghanistan's innings. Shahidi, who had played a resilient knock to help his team reach a competitive total, was found to have violated the pitch regulations. On-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rohan Pandit observed the infringement and, according to the playing conditions, disallowed the single he had taken and awarded five penalty runs to India.
As per the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, if a batsman runs on the protected area of the pitch after being warned, the batting side is penalised. This penalty is enforced at the start of the next innings, which in this case was India's chase. Thus, India began their innings at 5/0 without facing a delivery.
The development was a setback for Afghanistan, who had set India a target of 273 runs. The five-run penalty meant India required 268 runs to win. The incident sparked discussions among fans and experts about the strict enforcement of pitch regulations.
India went on to chase the target comfortably, winning the match and sealing the series 3-0. The penalty runs, however, remained a talking point due to its rarity in limited-overs cricket.
