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The Afghanistan Men's team captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, has been penalized with one demerit point by the International Cricket Council on June 21. This is due to overstepping on the pitch multiple times despite a warning from the umpire.

The incident happened in the third ODI between India and Afghanistan when Shahidi overstepped on the protected area of the pitch while taking singles. The umpires warned him twice before the official warning came in the 31st over. He still did the same in the final ball of the 40th over and even engaged in an animated chat with the umpires.

Initially, Afghanistan was penalized with 5 runs, and now the ICC has punished him with a demerit point. Notably, this has been his first demerit point in a 24-month period. Regarding this, ICC released an official statement in which it said,

"Hashmatullah was found to have breached Article 2.10.10 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to a batter causing deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch."

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi produced one of the grittiest innings of his ODI career during the third ODI against India in Chennai, scoring a fighting 102 off 131 deliveries under challenging conditions. After Afghanistan opted to bat first, their innings suffered an early collapse as Prasidh Krishna ripped through the top order, reducing them to 36/4 inside the opening 10 overs.

Shahidi then steadied the innings alongside Azmatullah Omarzai, stitching together a crucial 105-run partnership. As wickets continued to tumble at the other end, the skipper remained firm despite the sweltering Chennai heat. The conditions eventually took a physical toll, with Shahidi suffering severe cramps after crossing the 80-run mark.

Struggling to run between the wickets and requiring frequent medical attention, he adjusted his game smartly, relying on timing and placement. His determined knock featured 13 fours and a six, and he brought up his maiden ODI century with a boundary off Washington Sundar. Shahidi was eventually dismissed for 102 as Afghanistan posted 218, with Prasidh Krishna claiming a five-wicket haul.