India's Final ODI Against Afghanistan: Key Changes in the Playing XI

In the final ODI against Afghanistan, India has made significant changes to their playing XI, excluding KL Rahul and others. Captain Shubman Gill emphasizes the importance of consistency as they aim for a clean sweep in the series. This match not only serves as a chance for India to solidify their momentum ahead of the England tour but also allows Afghanistan to showcase their capabilities. Read on to find out more about the teams and the match dynamics.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jun 20, 2026, 13:42 IST

India's Squad Adjustments for the Third ODI

KL Rahul was omitted from India's lineup for the third ODI against Afghanistan. The Indian team has performed exceptionally well in the series, securing victories in the first two matches decisively. This final ODI presents an excellent opportunity for India to achieve a clean sweep at home while building momentum for the upcoming tour of England. Conversely, Afghanistan aims to prove their competitiveness in this format.

Winning the toss at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Afghanistan chose to bat first. Indian captain Shubman Gill announced three changes to the playing XI, bringing back Harshit Rana, Harsh Dubey, and Prasidh Krishna. Consequently, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav were excluded from the squad.

Reasons Behind the Exclusions of KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav

The players were not dropped but rather rested as India had already clinched the series. This allowed the team to evaluate their bench strength. Harshit Rana, who was recently included in the ODI squad, did not get a chance to play in the previous matches. Captain Shubman Gill expressed the team's desire for consistency and mentioned that losing the toss could be advantageous. He stated, "It appears to be a good pitch. We would have batted first as well. The conditions were hot in the last match, and it will be similar today. Our focus is on maintaining consistency in our performance. We will be chasing today, and consistently achieving big scores while chasing is an area we need to improve on. That’s our goal for this match. We have made three changes: Prasidh, Harsh, and Nitish Reddy are back in the team."

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav