IND vs AFG 3rd T20I: The third and last match of the three-match T20 International series between India and Afghanistan is being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Indian team has made a great start by batting first. According to the live scorecard available, India had scored 132 runs in 8.3 overs without losing any wicket. During this, Abhishek Sharma completed his century in an explosive manner, while Sanju Samson is also supporting him very well. Abhishek broke the record of former Indian captain Rohit Sharma's century in 35 balls and made his place in the top-10.
One change in India's playing eleven
One change has been made in the Indian team for the third T20 match. Yash Thakur has been included in the playing eleven in place of fast bowler Arshdeep Singh. At the same time, the Afghanistan team has made two changes. Abdullah Ahmadzai and Noor-ul-Rehman have got a place in the team and both players are making their T20 International debut. On the other hand, Noor Ahmed and Gulbadin Naib are not part of this contest.
India is being captained by Shreyas Iyer. In the team, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have been given the responsibility of starting the innings. Both the batsmen put pressure on Afghanistan's bowlers from the very beginning.
Abhishek Sharma's stormy century
The biggest attraction of the Indian innings was the aggressive batting of Abhishek Sharma. He completed his century in just 30 balls. According to the scorecard, Abhishek was present at the crease after scoring 100 runs in 30 balls. His innings included 9 fours and 10 sixes. His strike rate was 333.33, which shows his explosive batting.
Abhishek spoiled the line and length of Afghanistan's bowlers during the power play itself. He hit shots all around the ground and with his flamboyant batting took the Indian innings towards a big score. Abhishek has already performed impressively in this series and he continued his form in the third match as well.
Sanju Samson gave strong support
At the other end, wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson also played a useful innings. Till the time of writing the news, Sanju was playing after scoring 32 runs on 21 balls. His innings included one four and three sixes. His strike rate was 152.38.
A quick partnership between Abhishek and Sanju for the first wicket put the Indian team in a strong position. Both the batsmen played risky but controlled shots and put Afghanistan's bowlers on the backfoot in the initial overs.
India eyes clean sweep
The Indian team has already achieved an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. In the first match, India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets, while in the second match also, Team India won the series by seven wickets. Now the Shreyas Iyer-led team is eyeing a 3-0 clean sweep in the series.
This match is important for India even before the Asian Games 2026. A great performance in the series can boost the confidence of the team. However, young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi was not included in the playing eleven even in the third match. He did not get a chance to play even in the first two matches. Now he can be seen during the Indian team's campaign in the Asian Games 2026.