IND vs AFG 3rd T20I: India look to secure win, Kuldeep, Avesh may get return

Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav (Pic: File Pic)

With the series already in the bag, India will be eager to perfect their freshly-baked T20 template as a team and hope that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma's bat will generate some runs ahead of the third T20I against Afghanistan on Wednesday.

This will be the last T20I game from India's perspective before the global T20I showpiece starts in June. The management would not want any drop in intensity that was displayed in the previous two games.

The two run-chases in the previous games displayed the aggressive mindset of the "Men in Blue."

Also Read: IN PHOTOS | Chase Master Virat Kohli achieves new feat in T20Is

Shivam Dube shone brightly in both matches and smashed 60 runs in the first and 63 runs in the second T20I against Afghanistan.

Returning to the game after a gap of 14 months, Virat Kohli struck 29 runs in just 16 deliveries including 5 fours. The most noteworthy feature of his little yet significant innings was the way he handled Afghan spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, whom he carted for 18 runs off seven balls, striking against him at a rate of 257.

Kohli has always been a bit of a slow-mover against spin but there was no trepidation this time and he showed commendable alacrity to contribute his two cents to a transformed approach. the right-hander also achieved the unique feat of completing 2,000 T20I runs while chasing. He is the only second batsman in T20I history to do so after Ireland's Paul Stirling.

Dube reappeared in the Indian blue after a gap of three years when he was selected for the T20 series against Ireland at Malahide, Dublin, last year.

But after playing in the subsequent Asian Games, Dube could not find a spot in the series against Australia and South Africa.

However, the scattered appearances did not prevent Dube from following the path set by the think tank. His two brutal fifties were too heavy to handle for Afghanistan, who did not have the services of injured star spinner Rashid Khan.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had missed the first match at Mohali with a groin niggle, too showed the willingness to imbibe the pattern with a quick half-century in the last game. Opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal who missed the first match due to an injury also showcased aggressive batting style. He smashed 68 runs in 34 deliveries including 5 fours and 6 sixes.

In all these positives, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma didn't have much impressive T20Is. In both the matches, the veteran opener departed for ducks. The team management would definitely like to see the skipper signing off from the series with a substantial innings.

With Indian batsmen in form, the management will not look to change it. Instead, the think-tank can look to give chances to Kuldeep Yadav and Avesh Khan.

Kuldeep can come in place of Ravi Bishnoi or Washington Sundar whereas on the other hand, Mukesh Kumar can make way for Avesh Khan.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma has been playing the T20I format since the fourth match against Australia. Sanju Samson can replace him if the management wants to give rest to Jitesh.

Afghanistan displayed good performances in this series but failed to convert them into match-winning fireworks.

They would hope for a good effort from opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz after two mediocre outings, as his salvos up the order go a long way in Afghans setting or chasing a target.

The smooth pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and its shorter boundaries offer him a fine chance to be among runs.

A victory against India will also boost Afghanistan's confidence for the series against Sri Lanka and Ireland.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan.

(With PTI Inputs)