Rohit Sharma coming out to bat against Afghanistan in the second Super Over in Bangalore on Wednesday has brought the ICC’s playing conditions into sharp focus. It appeared the India captain had ‘retired out’ in the first Super Over.

The ICC’s playing conditions for men’s T20Is clearly states that “any batsman
dismissed in any previous Super Over shall be ineligible to bat in any subsequent
Super Over.”

The ambiguity relates to the word ‘dismissed’. With two runs required off the last ball in the first Super Over and Yashasvi Jaiswal on strike, India decided to replace Rohit with Rinku Singh. It was a tactical decision to allow a quicker runner between the wickets during the last ball.

Clause 25.4.2 of the ICC playing conditions states: “If a batsman retires because of illness, injury or any other unavoidable cause, that batsman is entitled to resume his innings. If for any reason this does not happen, that batsman is to be recorded as ‘Retired - not out’.”

“If a batsman retires for any reason other than as in clause 25.4.2, the innings of that batsman may be resumed only with the consent of the opposing captain.”

The match officials — umpires Jayaraman Madanagopal and Virender Sharma along with Match Referee Javagal Srinath — have not yet clarified whether Rohit was retired out or retired hurt.

India head coach Rahul Dravid added a twist when he suggested that Rohit had retired himself out, similar to what Ravichandran Ashwin had done in an IPL 2022 game.

“Taking himself out was Ashwin-level thinking,” Dravid said.

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott seemed to be clueless. “I have no idea,” Trott said at the news conference when asked if the officials had consulted them.