India are gearing up to face Afghanistan in the third and final ODI, scheduled to be held at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. India, being already 2-0 up in the series, will be aiming to complete a comprehensive 3-0 sweep. Having already secured an unassailable 2-0 lead, they head into the final game brimming with confidence. Meanwhile, Afghanistan have a final opportunity to salvage pride and end the tour on a positive note.
So far, India have completely dominated the series, remaining superior in both batting and bowling departments. They clinched the opening ODI comfortably, winning it by 7 wickets following a commanding batting show by captain Shubman Gill, who 84 unbeaten off 66 balls. In the second ODI, again captain Shubman Gill led from the front with a magnificent 154-run knock. He had huge help from in-form batter Ishan Kishan after he pummelled an explosive century to help the side register an easy 170-run victory.
Gill's form has been one of the biggest factors for India, playing an immense role in India's continuous dominance over Afghanistan. Heading into the final game, India have also added Harshit Rana to their squad, marking his return to the team for the first time since February earlier this year.
On the other hand, for Afghanistan, it's been a challenging tour. Despite fighting hard repeatedly, they have been unable to overcome India's brilliance. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been in red-hot form, making useful contributions, but a lack of support from other players contributed to Afghanistan's dismal show. Even their bowlers have struggled to maintain sustained pressure against India's robust batting line-up. Despite all this, Afghanistan would eye a comeback to gain much-needed confidence in order to reward the fighting spirit they have demonstrated over the past two games.
Head-to-head
Matches - 6
IND won - 5
AFG won - 0
Tied - 1
India likely XI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey/Harshit Rana
Afghanistan likely XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Darwish Rasooli, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Bilal Sami
