Ind vs Afg: 3rd ODI today in Chennai…. Team India will enter the field with the intention of clean sweep

Chennai. The last match of the three-match ODI series between India and Afghanistan is on Saturday (June 20) in Chennai. The Indian team, which has taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, will now take the field with the intention of a clean sweep. However, the biggest attraction of this match will not only be the result, but also the performance of some players, for whom this match can prove to be future-deciding.

Most eyes will be on Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal, who returned to the ODI team for the first time since December 2025, was out after scoring just 4 runs in the second match played in Lucknow. Earlier, he had played a brilliant inning of 116 not out against South Africa in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), but since then the picture of the team has changed a lot.

The return of Ishan Kishan has made the competition more difficult in the top order. Kishan strengthened his claim by scoring a century in Lucknow ODI. Due to his presence, captain Shubman Gill himself had to drop to number 3 so that Jaiswal could get a chance to open.

If Kishan and Shreyas Iyer remain at number-4 and number-5 respectively, then it will become more difficult for Jaiswal to make a place in the team. In such a situation, Chennai ODI is a big opportunity for him. The ODI team for India’s England tour is also to be announced soon and the panel led by BCCI selection committee boss Ajit Agarkar is known for taking tough decisions in recent times. In such a situation, another failure can increase Jaiswal’s problems.

KL Rahul’s situation is a little different. After the return of Shreyas Iyer after a long time, Rahul may now have to bat mostly at number 6. Number-5 has been Rahul’s most successful position in ODI cricket. In this sequence, he has scored 1517 runs in 38 matches, in which there are three centuries and 10 half-centuries. His average has also been 63.2.

However, his figures at number 6 are not that impressive. Rahul has scored 332 runs in 15 matches at this venue and has scored only one half-century. Batting in the lower order, he gets fewer overs, so now he has the challenge of scoring runs quickly and playing the role of a finisher. He will try to prove himself in this new role in Chennai.

Will Harshit make a comeback in Team India?

Harshit Rana’s return in the bowling department is a topic of discussion. He has been included in the team after completing rehabilitation at the BCCI Center of Excellence. In such a situation, there is a possibility that he may get a chance in the playing eleven in place of Arshdeep Singh, who has played the first two matches of the series.

Harshit’s presence also gives India additional batting options lower down the order, especially when Nitish Kumar Reddy is unavailable due to injury. Apart from this, the team management and selectors would also like to assess his match fitness and preparations before the England tour.

Gurnoor Brar has played both the matches of the series and the team management may want to test him further in different conditions. Therefore, some changes may be seen in the bowling combination of Team India.

On the other hand, this tour has been very disappointing for Afghanistan so far. Team India has been seen struggling in both Test and ODI formats. In both the ODI matches, the Afghan team could neither make an impact in batting nor in bowling.

The team led by Hashmatullah Shahidi would now like to conclude the tour with a better performance in the last match. Victory may seem difficult, but Afghanistan will try to give a tough challenge as per its reputation.

Indian team: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana.

Afghanistan team: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darvesh Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan.

The match will start at 1:30 pm. India will be eyeing a 3-0 series win, while Afghanistan will try to give their best performance to save honour.