Afghanistan Opts to Bat First Against India in 3rd ODI

Match Overview

In the 3rd ODI held on Saturday at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Afghanistan's captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat first against India. India has already secured the ODI series with wins in Dharamsala and Lucknow, and they are now looking to achieve a clean sweep. Meanwhile, Afghanistan is eager to avoid a series whitewash.

Captains' Insights

"We prefer to bat first today as it's typically hot in India during this month. The pitch appears to be dry and hard, which should provide a good start for us. In the previous matches, we missed some key areas and didn't perform as we usually do. We hope to recover today with solid partnerships and effective bowling. We've made four changes; Nabi returns, and Azmat is playing," Shahidi stated during the toss.

"The wicket looks excellent, and I would have chosen to bat first as well. The heat was intense 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 has been a challenge for us. That's what we aim to improve on today. We've made three changes; Prasidh, Harsh, and Nitish Reddy are back," Indian captain Shubman Gill commented.

Playing XI

Afghanistan's 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's 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.