Why did India have five runs on the board before facing single ball against Afghanistan in 3rd ODI?

India started their innings at 5/0 because they were awarded five penalty runs due to a rule violation by Afghanistan.During the first innings of the third ODI at Chepauk, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi repeatedly ran on the protected area (the middle section) of the pitch while batting.

Under MCC Law 41.14, batters are not allowed to run down the center of the pitch.In cricket, the pitch has a special area called the protected area or danger zone. This is a rectangle right down the center of the wicket, measuring about 5 feet by 2 feet. Players wear sharp metal spikes on their shoes. If players stamp down the middle of the pitch, they will tear up the turf and leave deep scars.

This can make the ball bounce dangerously or spin like crazy, giving bowling teams an unfair advantage later in the match. Earlier in the game, Afghanistan had already received their final warning from on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rohan Pandit.

At the end of the 40th over, a tired Shahidi took a run and ran straight through the restricted middle section of the pitch for the second time. The umpires stepped in immediately and enforced two rules. The first being, the run he just took was cancelled (disallowed), so it did not count toward Afghanistan's score. The other being the five runs penalty, India was awarded before they even begun the second innings.

What led to Afghanistan's series loss against India?

Afghanistan lost the ODI series 3-0 against India due to a complete failure from their fast bowlers, repeated batting collapses, and total dominance from India's top-order batters. Despite a few brave individual performances, like centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz earlier in the series and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi in the final game, Afghanistan was thoroughly outclassed in every department.

Afghanistan’s pacers took just two wickets all series. They gave away nearly 10 runs an over, allowing India’s batters to score effortlessly. The team kept losing wickets in quick clusters. Despite individual hundreds, the rest of the lineup repeatedly crumbled for low scores.

India's opening batsmen were unstoppable. Shubman Gill dominated the early games, while Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a rapid century and Rohit Sharma hit an explosive 79 in the final match. They chased down targets with ease, leaving Afghanistan's bowlers completely helpless.

Afghanistan’s batters could not handle the extreme speed and bounce of India's fast bowlers. In the third game, Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna tore through their batting lineup to take a career-best five wickets. Having not played any One Day International matches for eight long months before this tour, Afghanistan lacked match fitness, rhythm, and tactical sharpness under pressure.