CHENNAI, India, June 20 — A brilliant unbeaten century from Yashasvi Jaiswal, a five-wicket haul by Prasidh Krishna, and a commanding half-century from Rohit Sharma powered India to a nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the third and final One-Day International, completing a 3-0 series sweep on Saturday.
After Afghanistan posted 218, anchored by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi’s maiden ODI century and a half-century from Azmatullah Omarzai, India chased down the target with ease in just 28.4 overs. Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 110, while Rohit blasted 79 as the opening pair added 170 runs for the first wicket.
India began the chase with an unusual advantage after Afghanistan were penalized five runs when Shahidi ran into the danger area. Jaiswal and Rohit immediately capitalized, launching an aggressive assault on the Afghan bowling attack.
Jaiswal raced to his maiden ODI half-century in just 38 balls, striking seven fours and a six. The opening pair carried India to 86 without loss after 10 overs and brought up the team’s 100 in the 13th over.
Rohit soon reached his half-century in 47 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes. The duo continued to dominate Afghanistan’s spinners, regularly finding the boundary as India crossed 150 in the 21st over.
Mohammad Nabi eventually broke the 170-run partnership when Rohit was caught at deep midwicket for 79 off 69 balls, an innings that included nine fours and three sixes. India was 170/1 in the 23rd over.
Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer then guided India comfortably toward the finish. India crossed the 200-run mark in the 28th over before Jaiswal brought up his second ODI century with a six, reaching the milestone in just 83 deliveries.
India completed the chase with more than 21 overs to spare. Jaiswal finished unbeaten on 110 off 86 balls, including 14 fours and three sixes, while Iyer remained not out on 20.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s decision to bat first backfired as Prasidh Krishna produced a devastating spell with the new ball.
Krishna struck in the second over, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for four, before removing Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran in quick succession. Rohit Sharma took all three catches in the slips as Afghanistan slumped to 28/3.
Darwish Rasooli became Krishna’s fourth victim, leaving Afghanistan struggling at 36/4 in the 10th over.
Shahidi and Omarzai then staged a remarkable recovery. The pair added 105 runs for the fifth wicket, guiding Afghanistan past the 100-run mark and restoring stability to the innings.
Shahidi reached his half-century in 64 balls, while Omarzai completed his fifty in 55 deliveries. Their partnership ended when Prince Yadav dismissed Omarzai for 50, leaving Afghanistan at 141/5.
Shahidi continued to anchor the innings and added another valuable partnership with Mohammad Nabi, helping Afghanistan reach 200. He eventually completed his maiden ODI century in 128 balls.
The lower order, however, failed to provide support as Afghanistan lost wickets in quick succession. Rashid Khan fell to Harsh Dubey, while Allah Ghazanfar and Fareed Ahmad were run out.
Krishna returned to claim Shahidi as his fifth wicket, ending Afghanistan’s innings at 218 in 44.2 overs. Shahidi scored 102 off 131 balls, including 13 fours and a six.
Krishna finished with outstanding figures of 5/23, while Prince Yadav, Harsh Dubey, and Gurnoor Brar claimed one wicket each.
The comprehensive victory completed a dominant series sweep for India, with Jaiswal, Rohit, and Krishna delivering standout performances in the final match. (ANI)
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