IND vs AFG, 3rd T20I: Team India look to finish strong in last match before T20 World Cup

India will look to sweep the series when they take on Afghanistan today in the third and final T20I at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Bengaluru. This dead-rubber will be their final T20I assignment ahead of the T20 World Cup scheduled for June.

Having won the first T20I in Mohali by six wickets, India replicated success with a similar six-wicket win in the second game in Indore on Sunday.

After electing to bowl first, India managed to restrict Afghanistan to 172 on a belter of a surface and chased down the target with 26 balls to spare.

Chasing the total, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube scored half-centuries, while Virat Kohli (29 off 16) also marked his comeback into the T20I side after 14 months with a quickfire cameo.

Captain’s struggles

Despite numerous positives, skipper Rohit’ Sharma’s recent struggle to make an impact with the bat has been a minor concern. He was run out in the first match due to a mix-up with Shubman Gill, and misjudging Fazalhaq Farooqi’s length led to his first-ball duck in Indore. The team management would want to see him finish the series on a high.

Axar Patel in form

Axar Patel, who was awarded Man of the Match in the previous game for his economical spell and milestone of 200 T20 wickets, will look to continue his form. His all-round abilities have been a boon for India, providing balance to the side. The spin department, with the likes of Ravi Bishnoi, could also exploit the conditions during the middle overs, despite the pitch’s inclination toward batting.

India may not make significant changes to the batting lineup, but there’s a chance to provide game time for Kuldeep Yadav and Avesh Khan. Kuldeep could replace either Ravi Bishnoi or Washington Sundar, while Avesh might take the place of fellow pacer Mukesh Kumar. Jitesh Sharma has been the wicketkeeper-batter since the fourth T20I against Australia last year, and if there’s a need for rest, Sanju Samson is a viable option.

Head-to-head

Before this T20I match, both India and Afghanistan faced each other three times in the T20 World Cups, once in the Asia Cup, and twice in the previous bilateral series. India has won all five matches.

Pitch

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium’s pitch is known to favour the batters and is considered to be a batting paradise due to the flat nature of the surface. The boundaries are shorter. So the team winning the toss will look to bat first and put runs on the board.