India Secures ODI Series Sweep Against Afghanistan
In Chennai, India celebrated a strong victory, defeating Afghanistan by nine wickets, completing a clean sweep in the three-match ODI series on Saturday. Prasidh Krishna made headlines with his first five-wicket haul, taking 5 wickets for just 23 runs in 8.2 overs. Afghanistan, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, was all out for 218 runs in 44.2 overs. Hashmatullah Shahidi stood out for Afghanistan, scoring a solid 102 runs off 131 balls.
Chasing 219 runs, India had a smooth outing. Yashasvi Jaiswal made a remarkable contribution, scoring 110 runs without losing his wicket, marking his second ODI century. Alongside Rohit Sharma, who scored 79 off 69 balls, they put together a formidable partnership of 170 runs for the opening wicket. India reached 224 runs for just one wicket in 28.4 overs, finishing with over 20 overs to spare.
With this win, India had already secured the series earlier, with a dominant 170-run victory in the second ODI held in Lucknow and a seven-wicket win in the rain-affected first match in Dharamshala.
This was the first bilateral ODI series between the two teams. Afghanistan struggled from the outset, losing four wickets in less than ten overs due to Krishna’s effective bowling. Notably, Sharma supported his teammate with three catches at slip, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for just 5 runs, and also contributing to the dismissals of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah.
After facing early setbacks, Shahidi managed to stabilize Afghanistan’s innings and scored 102 runs. Alongside Azmatullah Omarzai, who contributed 50 runs, they created a partnership of 105 runs for the fifth wicket. However, after their efforts, the rest of the batting lineup faltered, with no other batsmen managing to score significantly.
On the Indian side, Jaiswal and Sharma set an aggressive tone, scoring 81 runs without loss in the first 10 overs. Jaiswal reached his half-century off 38 balls before accelerating to reach his century. “I enjoyed my time batting,” he said after the match. “I got runs during the powerplay, and I just wanted to keep going. While selection is out of my hands, I aim to work hard and make the most of every opportunity.”
Sharma also recorded his 61st half-century before being caught out in the 23rd over. Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer, who remained not out with 20 runs, sealed the victory with a brisk 54 runs off just 35 balls.
Afghanistan is still seeking their first win against India across all formats of the game.
