The India vs Afghanistan ODI series has been a one-sided affair, as Shubman Gill’s side have already clinched the series by winning the first two games. With the third and final ODI taking place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, June 20, the match will be extremely exciting. India would like to clean sweep the Afghans and maintain its momentum.
Afghanistan has been one of the best teams in white ball cricket. They would like to end the series on a high note by winning the last game. The series win for India was Shubman Gill’s first as a captain, as he had lost two series against Australia and then New Zealand and was absent in the South Africa series.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Preview
Shubman Gill has been in sensational form as he has played two consecutive match-winning innings of 84 and 154 runs and won the Player of the Match title. The Team India captain would like to finish the series on a good note, as he is already the leading run-scorer and can also win the Player of the Series award. Apart from Gill, debutants Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav have been impressive.
For the Afghans, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been in good form, scoring a century in the first rain-interrupted match, where they scored only 194 runs. The keeper batsman has been quite impressive and has been using his experience of playing in India over the years in this series. He would like to play a good innings to make his team win in the upcoming match.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Match Details
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match: India vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI
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series: India tour of Afghanistan 2026
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date: Saturday, June 20, 2026
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Time: 1:30 PM IST
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venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Team News
For India, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya were ruled out ahead of the series citing separate injuries. During the last ODI, Ishan Kishan suffered a shoulder injury while taking a catch but is expected to take part and Gill also did not take the field after suffering cramps while batting. India have recalled Harshit Rana for the final ODI and the fast bowler will be a part of the squad.
Afghanistan also had injury problems as Darwish Rasooli strained his hamstring while fielding and was taken off the field on a stretcher, but he came to bat and could not complete the innings and walked off the field once again. He may not be available for the last game.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Playing XI [Predicted]
India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Umarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Allah Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI pitch report
The pitch at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium for the India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI will turn into a slow wicket, as has happened in Chennai. The pitch will be balanced and teams winning the toss will want to bat first on a wicket that will be fresh.
Since the venue has hosted 39 ODI contests, 18 of them were won by the team batting first, while on 20 occasions the team chasing won. Although chasing the target has become easier in the light, as the game progresses, with teams looking to score big, the pitch will become slower.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI weather report
According to the weather forecast, there will be some rain in Chennai on Saturday, with a 57% chance of rainfall. The highest temperature is expected to reach 34.6 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is expected to be 28.1 degrees Celsius. June in Chennai is also expected to be hot and humid, with normal temperatures ranging between 35 to 37 degrees Celsius.
Although some forecasts indicate that there will be no heavy rain on the match day, the 57 percent chance of scattered rain remains a concern, which could potentially lead to a rain-related clash or delay. Already in the series, the first match was shortened to 25 overs each.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Head-to-Head Record
Shubman Gill’s team has been dominating the India vs Afghanistan match in all formats for the last several years. In this format, the two teams have clashed six times, with India winning five matches and one match ending in a tie, which happened in the Asia Cup 2018.
The Men in Blue have already won the series and will look to continue their winning streak against the Afghans by winning over the weekend in Chennai before traveling to England for their white-ball tour.
Key battles to watch in India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI
Rohit Sharma vs Rashid Khan
Rohit Sharma is starting in the match, but has not been able to convert his start into a big score. He is just one innings away from returning to form. The experienced opening batsman would like to score a big score in the upcoming game as he needs to score runs; Otherwise, he will be under immense pressure to lose his position.
Rashid Khan has been in good form in recent times; He took the wicket of Rohit in the last match and will look to do the same as Rashid has got the better of Rohit in this format, taking his average to 13 against the Afghan spinner twice.
Shreyas Iyer vs Nangeyalia Kharoti
Shreyas Iyer has not played much of a role as a batsman in this series, as he has just turned 20. The vice-captain of the India national cricket team will look to score some big runs in conditions of rapid fall of wickets, as he has been doing a good job at the number 4 position in recent years.
Nangeyalia Kharoti is the joint-highest wicket-taker for Afghanistan in this series, taking four wickets in the second ODI and also bowled well in the Test series. He will look to cause trouble for India in the middle order and his battle with Shreyas will be crucial as the latter had taken his wicket the last time they met.
Ibrahim Zadran vs Arshdeep Singh
Ibrahim Zadran has not been at his best in this series; He looks out of sorts as Afghanistan’s best ODI batsman will look to pile on the runs in the third and final ODI. The opener got some good starts, but failed to capitalize on it and was out cheaply.
After a struggling performance for Punjab Kings in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Arshdeep Singh has been a completely different bowler for India in this series. He has bowled well for the Men in Blue in this series in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. He would once again like to dismiss Afghan opener Zadran, as he did in the second ODI.
Players to watch in India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI
India
Rohit Sharma: The 39-year-old opening batsman would like to score a big century on Saturday as he was looking in great form in the last two matches but got out unfortunately. There is no change in Rohit Sharma and his inning of 48 runs in the last innings will definitely give him confidence.
Prince Yadav: The Delhi fast bowler was impressive on his debut in the last match, getting the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, but it was short-lived as it was a no-ball. However, Prince Yadav continued to impress, taking two wickets in the match.
Shreyas Iyer: Shreyas Iyer will be crucial on a pitch like Chennai, where the ball will hold and turn as he has been a brilliant player of spin and will look to dominate the India vs Afghanistan match.
afghanistan
Ibrahim Zadran: The opening batsman needs to provide stability at the top of the order and has been one of Afghanistan’s most consistent ODI batsmen. The audience will need a bigger contribution from him.
Rashid Khan: He remains Afghanistan’s biggest match-winner in white-ball cricket. The leg spinners’ ability to take wickets and control the middle overs makes them an important player, especially on the surface where spin is expected to favor Chennai.
Hashmatullah Shahidi: The Afghanistan captain will look to score runs in the middle overs as he has been a key batsman in their middle order and has played a few short innings in the India vs Afghanistan one-off Test.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Free Live Streaming and Broadcast Details
The third One-Day International will be telecast live across platforms in India. With an active subscription, fans can watch the match live online through the JioHotstar app and website. On television, fans can watch on Star Sports Network.
Live coverage will begin at 12:30 PM IST, and the toss is scheduled for 1:00 PM IST, while the match is scheduled for 1:30 PM IST in Chennai. Fans are expected to reach the venue in large numbers as it has been a happy hunting ground for India.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Match Prediction
India have won the first two games in dominant fashion, it is expected that the Men in Blue will look to win this game and maintain their winning momentum ahead of the trip to the UK. Shubman Gill and his young team have performed brilliantly in this series.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, will look to upset the home team and break India’s win record against Afghanistan in this format and finish the series on a high. However, as per our prediction, India is going to win this match.