CHENNAI, INDIA – In a historic first bilateral one-day international series between the two cricketing nations, India has secured a perfect 3-0 series sweep, wrapping up the final contest with a dominant nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan on Saturday. The result extends Afghanistan’s winless drought against India across all international formats.
The day belonged to Indian pace bowler Prasidh Krishna, who delivered a career-defining performance to claim his first five-wicket haul in ODI cricket. After Afghanistan won the pre-match toss and elected to bat first, Krishna tore through the opposition’s top order with the new ball, leaving the Afghan batting lineup reeling early. By the 10th over mark, Afghanistan had slumped to 36-4, having lost four key wickets to Krishna’s sharp seam movement. Indian captain Rohit Sharma supported Krishna’s early burst by holding three catches at first slip, sending Afghanistan’s top-order batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah back to the pavilion for scores of 5, 11 and 5 respectively.
Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi rescued his side from total collapse with a resolute maiden ODI century. Holding firm at one end for 131 deliveries, Shahidi struck 13 fours and one six to reach 102 not out, and built a crucial 105-run fifth-wicket partnership with all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, who contributed a steady 50 off 56 balls. The lower order failed to build on Shahidi’s foundation however, with veteran Mohammad Nabi’s 21 the only other double-digit score in the Afghan innings. Krishna eventually wrapped up the innings after 44.2 overs, finishing with outstanding figures of 5 wickets for just 23 runs, and bowling Afghanistan out for a total of 218.
India’s chase got off to a flying start, thanks to a 170-run opening stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma. The opening pair put India 81 runs up without loss after the first 10 powerplay overs, putting the target well within reach from the earliest stages of the innings. Rohit notched his 61st ODI half-century, scoring 79 runs off 69 deliveries, before falling caught to Mohammad Nabi in the 23rd over, just short of a century.
Jaiswal, playing only his fifth ODI and filling in as an opening batsman, remained unbeaten through the entire chase to score his second ODI century, finishing on 110 not out. The young batsman brought up his half-century off just 38 balls, hitting seven fours and a six, before adding another 50 runs from 45 deliveries to bring India across the finish line. After Rohit’s dismissal, Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer (20 not out) added an unbroken 54-run partnership from 35 overs to seal the win, with India reaching 224 for 1 loss after just 28.4 overs, a full 21.2 overs remaining in the allotted 50 overs.
Speaking after the match, Jaiswal emphasized his focus on making the most of every opportunity he receives in the national side. “I really enjoyed batting out there,” he said. “I got runs in the powerplay so I just wanted to keep going. Selection is not in my control, but I try to work hard as much as I can. I have support from the team management and the communication has been good. I am only trying to convert whatever chances I get.”
India had already secured the series win well before the final match, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead following a seven-wicket win in a rain-truncated opening fixture in Dharamshala, and a dominant 170-run victory in the second match in Lucknow. Saturday’s win capped off a flawless campaign for India, while Afghanistan will leave the series still searching for their first ever win against their South Asian neighbor across all international formats.