With the series already secured, India will aim to refine their T20 strategy as a team, and hope for skipper Rohit Sharma to fire in the third and final match against Afghanistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday (January 17). Apart from the possibility of a clean sweep, this marks India’s final T20I ahead of the T20 World Cup in June.
In both matches so far, one could observe the intent that all the batters played with. Even Virat Kohli, who has often played the anchor role, came out all guns blazing. He smashed a quickfire 29 (16) as India chased down 173 in 15.4 overs. Kohli, playing his first T20I after a long gap, made his intent clear and didn’t shy away from punishing the Afghan bowlers. Kohli is well-versed with the conditions at this venue as he has played a lot here. However, his T20I returns at this venue are modest –116 runs in 5 innings at an average of 29.00 and a strike rate of 126.09, with his highest score being an unbeaten 72.
Rohit has scored two ducks in a row. Though it was some bad calling from Shubman Gill that resulted in Rohit being run out in the first T20I, in the second, he was out bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi of the first ball he faced. He will be eager to get some runs under his belt in the last match of this series, and what better ground to do that than the Chinnaswamy. Like Kohli, Rohit’s T20I record at this venue isn’t great. In the three T20I matches, he has scored just 29 runs at an average of 9.67 and a strike rate of 111.54.
Another example of India’s changed approach: Despite losing Rohit early, young Yashasvi Jaiswal didn’t shy away from taking on the Afghan bowlers. He complimented Kohli and Shivam Dube well. It was a clear deviation from their earlier approach of building momentum for a final flourish in T20s. Speaking of Dube, he’s been the find of the series so far, with fifty-plus scores in both games. India will eye an encore from the duo here on a Chinnaswamy wicket which is expected to be a belter.
Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson may get an opportunity, but if the team management has decided to persist with Jitesh Sharma, he could be given an extended run. Axar Patel has performed exceptionally well in both games and might be rested, allowing Kuldeep Yadav to step in. Avesh Khan could also replace Arshdeep Singh or Mukesh Kumar.
Having gained valuable experience in their first bilateral series against India, Afghanistan will look to spring a surprise in the third and final game. While their openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, have had a lacklustre series, the promotion of Gulbadin Naib to No. 3 proved successful with a fifty in the previous game. Persisting with him at that position seems wise for the final match. The top order needs to establish a platform for the middle order to flourish, an aspect yet to materialise in the two games. However, given the nature of T20s, a shift in performance might occur in Bengaluru. Afghanistan might also consider bringing in Fareed Malik, a left-arm pace option, to add variety to their bowling attack.
Time and Venue Details
India vs Afghanistan, 3rd T20I. 7:00 PM. M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Expected Conditions
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium is a batting paradise. The pitch here is characterised by high-scoring encounters, where both chasing and setting totals in excess of 200 is common. The stadium’s short boundaries and rapid surface create favorable conditions for batters, although pace bowlers can leverage swing and bounce. Despite its reputation as a batting paradise, spinners occasionally exhibit their prowess, as witnessed in the recent T20I at this venue where India successfully defended a total of 160 against Australia. Across the nine T20Is hosted at this venue, teams batting second hold a 5-3 advantage, with an average first innings score of 141. In these nine games, pacers have claimed 57 wickets at an average of 26.17, while spinners have accounted for 38 wickets at an average of 23.92.
Probable Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Match-up
Rohit vs Farooqi: It was Farooqi who won the battle the last time these two players faced off in Indore. Rohit has been troubled by left-armers in the past. His record at this venue isn’t great either, and hence it will be interesting to see how he fares against the Afghan left-arm pacer, who has earned the reputation for taking early wickets with the new ball.
Match speak
“I will be looking at getting closer to a good 40 overs from us tomorrow. Being able to put some pressure on the Indian side in the middle overs with the ball would be nice. It’s something that we want to get better at if we want to compete at the World Cup (in June). So, plenty to play for at such a historic venue.” – Jonathan Trott, Afghanistan coach, in his pre-match press meet on Tuesday.