Prasidh makes his mark

After a tough start to the series in Dharamsala, where he conceded at 7 RPO in the five overs he sent down, Prasidh Krishna was left out of the XI for the second ODI in Lucknow. Returning to the side, he seized his opportunity in Chennai with a remarkable comeback that effectively sealed the game and the whitewash very early into the contest. Exploiting a pitch offering plenty of pace, bounce, and early lateral movement, Prasidh unleashed a sensational Powerplay burst. He dismantled the opposition's top order, ripping through the lineup to claim astonishing figures of 4/6 in his five-over spell with the new ball in helpful conditions. This devastating opening spell reduced Afghanistan to a precarious 36/4. Though the visitors fought back, Prasidh returned later to dismiss the Afghanistan skipper, claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in ODI cricket.

Jaiswal makes it count

Yashasvi Jaiswal had to bide his time in this series, watching from the bench during the opening match before failing to capitalize on a flat track in the second ODI, where he fell cheaply. Determined not to let another opportunity slip away in the third match, the young opener took charge during the chase. While fellow opener Rohit Sharma opted for a cautious approach at start, Jaiswal provided the early impetus in pursuit of a modest 219-run target. He took the attack to the bowlers, spearheading a dominant Powerplay performance that rocketed India to 86/0 in just 10 overs. Maintaining his relentless momentum, Jaiswal brought up a blazing 38-ball half-century right after the Powerplay restrictions lifted, ensuring India never looked back. He then converted it into his second ODI hundred - off just 83 deliveries - remaining unbeaten on 110 to see India home with more than 21 overs to spare.

Rohit shows he's still got what it takes

It may have been a watchful start from the former skipper, but Rohit Sharma proved he still has plenty left in the tank, silencing the growing murmurs surrounding the 39-year-old's spot in India's upcoming World Cup plans. With opening partner Jaiswal doing the heavy damage early on, Rohit shifted into an aggressive gear during the middle overs to accelerate the chase.

His calculated takedown of Afghanistan's most experienced player, Rashid Khan, particularly stood out. After being cleaned up by the spinner's googly in the previous match, Rohit looked entirely untroubled this time around. He confidently flicked a superb four off his pads in Rashid's second over, immediately following it up with a resounding six swept over deep backward square leg. In Rashid's next over, Rohit authoritatively swept another googly past short fine leg to secure a boundary, bringing up his 62nd ODI half-century after falling two short in Lucknow. Overall, 42 in 24 balls of Rohit's 79 came off Rashid at a strike-rate of 175, including five boundaries and two maximums.

Shahidi leads from the front

With their backs firmly against the wall following a catastrophic top-order collapse, Afghanistan found a savior in skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who stepped up to score a resilient maiden ODI century. Walking into a crisis, Shahidi anchored the middle-over revival and was the face of Afghanistan's resistance through the middle overs to keep his team alive in the contest.

Shahidi forged a crucial 105-run partnership with Azmatullah Omarzai, who contributed a solid 50 too, before shifting gears to orchestrate a brisk 57-run stand off just 53 deliveries alongside Mohammad Nabi. Thanks to his gritty leadership, the visitors looked on track for a competitive score. However, Shahidi's heroic efforts fell apart at the backend when the visitors suffered a spectacular collapse of 5 for 20. Fighting until the very end, the captain was fittingly the last man dismissed, having guided his side to a respectable total.