India look to tick more boxes with an eye on series sweep

With wins over Afghanistan in Dharamsala and Lucknow, India have already wrapped up the ODI series but there's still work to do. With next year's World Cup on the horizon and limited opportunities left in the format, the third ODI in Chennai carries a lot of significance.

India came into the series looking to test their depth and that process is set to continue on Saturday. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that changes will be made. "We will be making a few changes from the first two games. I think part of the brief coming into the series was we wanted to try a few different combinations and give everyone a fair share of games," Ten Doeschate said.

The series has already provided a few encouraging signs. Ishan Kishan has made the most of his opportunities, culminating in a brilliant hundred in Lucknow while batting at No.4. Skipper Shubman Gill scored a hundred at No. 3 in the absence of Virat Kohli. Gurnoor Brar, meanwhile, has impressed with his pace, bounce and ability to trouble batters from awkward lengths, and has looked like a good fit for South African conditions, where most of the 2027 World Cup will be played.

That said, India would like to tick a few more boxes. Yashasvi Jaiswal is confirmed to get another chance as the team continues to look at Rohit Sharma's back-up and left-handed options at the top of the order. Chennai is set to bring further opportunities for Nitish Reddy, who's on an extended audition as the India all-rounder in Hardik Pandya's absence; Prince Yadav, who had a tougher introduction to international cricket; and Harsh Dubey, who missed the previous game but showed enough on debut to suggest he belongs at this level.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, will be desperate to avoid a whitewash. Their decision to bowl first in Lucknow proved costly as India racked up 402, and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted afterwards that his side was "not good enough" on the day. While the visitors have been outplayed for large parts of the series, they will view the final ODI as an opportunity to show they can compete better against one of the world's leading sides.

When: Saturday, 20 June 2026, at 1:30 PM local

Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

What to expect: A red-soil pitch is expected at Chepauk, offering good bounce for pacers, spinners and also the shot-makers. Another hot day is forecast which could test the players.

Team news

India: Harshit Rana has been added to the ODI squad and could get a game right away, marking a return for the pace-bowling all-rounder after a few months on the sidelines which saw him miss the T20 World Cup and the IPL with a knee surgery. Ten Doeschate also confirmed that Nitish Reddy, who missed the last match, is fit and will get a game. KL Rahul, meanwhile, could be rested with Ishan taking the gloves.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Harshit Rana, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav.

Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (illness) and Azmatullah Omarzai (injured in the nets) missed the last match and could slot back in if fully recovered.

Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Darwish Rasooli/Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Bilal Sami/Azmatullah Omarzai.

What they said:

"If you look at squad composition, he's someone who obviously stands out with how he's performed under pressure in the T20 World Cup and how he's stepped into this team now and played a crucial knock the other night. I think he ticks a lot of boxes and someone, like I said, purely for the versatility, someone you want in your squad all day long." - Ryan ten Doeschate, India assistant coach, on Ishan Kishan.

"The biggest takeaway from this series is that, skill-wise, we still have work to do to catch up with this Indian team. India have fantastic skills. I believe our players do too, but the best players keep doing the basics over and over again. That is an area where we need to improve." - John Mooney, Afghanistan fielding coach.