With series already clinched, India eyes ODI clean sweep against Afghanistan (Preview)
Chennai, June 19
Having already secured the ODI series, a dominant India will aim to secure a 3-0 result when they take on Afghanistan in the third and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. With the series already clinched, India will be keen to see how certain individuals fare in Chennai.
Left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal will be keen to get a big knock after scoring just four runs in Lucknow, where the likes of skipper Shubman Gill and wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan made merry by smashing centuries.
With the potential return of Virat Kohli from a hamstring injury for the series against England set to shake up the batting order, the onus is on Jaiswal to get big runs in what is effectively a dead rubber. Eyes will also be on how KL Rahul re-engineers his ODI batting game to provide late-innings impetus at number six rather than steady accumulation as a number five batter.
India will also be buoyed with the return of seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana, who has been added to the squad in Chennai after completing rehabilitation for a knee injury. With Nitish Kumar Reddy nursing a thigh issue, Rana could be immediately put on the test to play the match, and give the team management a chance to assess his preparedness, fitness and playing wise, ahead of Ireland and England tours.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan have been thoroughly outplayed by a formidable India in both formats on this tour and face a daunting task to rectify their batting and bowling flaws and sign off on a high against a relentless home side.
When: Saturday, June 20, 1:30 PM IST
Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming
Squads:
India: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Harshit Rana
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ikram Alikhil (wicket-keeper), Azmatullah Omarzai, Bilal Sami, Nangeyalia Kharote, Fareed Ahmad Malik, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.
— IANS
Reader Comments
India's bench strength is amazing. Gill and Kishan have been superb, and now Harshit Rana returns. But honestly, Afghanistan's batting looks fragile against quality spin. They need to adapt better to Indian conditions. Dead rubber or not, I want a 3-0 sweep!
KL Rahul at number six is an interesting experiment. He's been a top-order batter for years, so adapting to a finisher role won't be easy. But if he clicks, it adds depth to India's batting. Hope he finds his groove in this dead rubber! 🤞
While India's dominance is impressive, I feel sorry for Afghanistan. They have world-class spinners like Rashid Khan, but their batting consistently lets them down. They need to work on building partnerships against quality bowling. This series has been one-sided, unfortunately.
Chepauk pitch usually assists spinners, so Afghanistan's strength could actually come into play! Rashid and Ghazanfar might trouble our middle order. Gill and Iyer need to be cautious early on. Would love to see Kohli play, but hamstring recovery is important - no rush for dead rubber.
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