2.6 overs (1 Run)
1 run.
2.5 overs (0 Run)
No run.
Shivam Dube walks in to face the hat-trick delivery.
2.4 overs (0 Run)
OUT! CAUGHT! Would you believe it? Virat departs on the first ball and there’s a pin drop silence at Chinnaswamy!
Virat Kohli walks in at number 3.
2.3 overs (0 Run)
OUT! CAUGHT! That’s a brilliant catch from Mohammad Nabi in the deep and India lose their first wicket. Bowls on a nagging length around middle and leg corridor, Yashasvi Jaiswal gets in position to smash it away over the leg side but does not get enough wood on it and ends up slicing it a bit. The ball stays in the air for a fair bit of time. Mohammad Nabi settles under it and takes a good grab around the mid-wicket region. Yashasvi Jaiswal departs early.
2.2 overs (1 Run)
Pace off a bit on that one and on a back of a length at the stump line, Rohit Sharma tucks it away nicely to mid-wicket for a single.
2.1 overs (4 Runs)
FOUR! And it’s from Rohit’s willow! This is pitched around middle and off on a back of a length and angling away, Rohit Sharma stands tall and gets enough wood on it and carves it to the deep backward point region for a boundary.
1.6 overs (0 Run)
Short and nipping away from off, Yashasvi Jaiswal stays rooted in the crease and punches it towards covers off the back foot.
1.5 overs (0 Run)
Pitches this one on a nagging length again around middle-leg, Yashasvi Jaiswal gets on top of the ball and hits it straight to the point fielder. Still couldn’t find the gap there.
1.4 overs (0 Run)
Slides away after pitching on the off stump channel on a good length, Yashasvi Jaiswal slashes it towards point.
1.3 overs (1 Run)
A bit of an outswing on offer on a good length outside off, Rohit Sharma finally gets off the mark with a dab towards the third man region with a single.
1.2 overs (0 Run)
Another dot. Azmatullah Omarzai bowls on a nagging length which moves into the right-hander from off, Rohit Sharma comfortably flicks it towards short mid-wicket.
1.1 overs (1 Run)
Starts off with a hint of an inward movement on a good length in front of the middle stump, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it away towards square leg for a single.
Azmatullah Omarzai to bowl from the other end. Also, while changing ends, Rohit Sharma asks the umpire whether he gave the first boundary off the thigh pad as there was bat involved and the skipper even jokes about how he has got two ducks in the last two outings.
0.6 over (0 Run)
Ends with a back of a length ball outside off, Rohit Sharma looks to lap it but misses.
0.5 over (4 Runs)
FOUR LEG BYES! Still not off the mark there. Bowls on a nagging length angling down leg, Rohit Sharma misses on the glance and it wears on his thigh pads to the fine leg fence for another leg bye boundary.
0.4 over (0 Run)
Play and a miss! Back of a length again and angling away after pitching, Rohit Sharma looks to defend on the front foot and misses it through to the keeper.
0.3 over (0 Run)
Back of a length around off, Rohit Sharma steers it down to the point region.
0.2 over (4 Runs)
FOUR LEG BYES! On a good length angling into the pads, Rohit Sharma looks to flick it away to the leg side but gets thud on the pads and the ball ricochets and runs away to the fence for four leg-byes. The replays show that there was an inside edge and Sharma is a bit unlucky to still not have gotten off the mark in the series.
0.1 over (3 Runs)
Finds the gap straightaway! Starts off with a short delivery outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal rides on the bounce and pierces the gap between cover and point, the fielder in the deep slides and does well to save one run for the team.
All in readiness for the game to begin! The two umpires are out in the middle and so are the two Indian openers, skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Fareed Ahmad has the new ball in hand and will get proceedings underway here. Let’s play…
Ibrahim Zadran, the captain of Afghanistan says that they would have bowled first and will look to execute their plans. Adds that so far there have been a lot of positives from this series and they will try to have a good one. Adds that they have made as many as four changes with Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad not playing.
The Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma says that they will bat first as they have bowled in the first two games and now they want to try different things. It has nothing to do with the pitch and they want to try out different combinations and test the bench strength. It has been a good series and it’s another good opportunity for them to end the series on a positive note. Ends by informing that Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Jitesh Sharma are out and Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav and Avesh Khan are in.
Afghanistan (Playing XI) – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran (C), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf (In for Mujeeb Ur Rahman), Qais Ahmad (In for Noor Ahmad), Mohammad Saleem (On T20 debut) (In for Naveen-ul-Haq), Fareed Ahmad (In for Fazalhaq Farooqi).
India (Playing XI) – Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson (WK) (In for Jitesh Sharma), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav (In for Axar Patel), Avesh Khan (In for Arshdeep Singh), Mukesh Kumar.
TOSS – The flip of the coin lands in favor of India and Rohit Sharma has opted to BAT first.
PITCH REPORT – Deep Dasgupta is pitchside. He starts by saying that the ground is fairly above sea level and it is 60 meters and 66 meters on either side of the wicket with the straight boundary being 70 meters. Nick Knight joins him and says that at first glance, it looks like there are a lot of cracks but when you take a second look at it, the pitch is hard and there is some grass, and will be slightly two-paced. Reckons there are runs to be scored and India might want to bat first. DDS ends by saying that pace-off might be the way to go on this surface.
As for the tourists, things haven’t worked out in their favor this whole series as they have struggled to contain the Indian batters and have been pretty expensive with the ball in hand. They are definitely missing the services of their superstar spin maestro Rashid Khan. His void was felt in this series as he has the potential to turn the course of the match single-handedly. Their batters will need to build a strong foundation up top and play attacking cricket to pressure the hosts. In the form of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, they do have a fearless opening pair but the top two need to play responsibly and step up and end this series on a positive note. Right then, the anticipation is building higher and higher and one can expect a galore of sixes and fours at the Chinnaswamy. Stay tuned as the Toss and the team sheets are just around the corner.
India have been rock solid thus far in the series and even when the opposition has looked dangerous, they have been able to come out on top with ease. Shivam Dube has been consistent in both games and has unleashed his potential with an aggressive approach and hitting with absolute precision. Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel will aim to keep things tidy just as they have done so far. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma would like to have some runs by his name in this game as this is the last T20I for India before they enter the T20 World Cup, 2024 later this year in June. With Virat Kohli playing his habitual colossal strokes and Rinku Singh being consistent, the Indian batting order looks nothing less than lethal. With the series in the bag, we might just see a few changes to the Playing XI as well.
Hello and a warm welcome to our coverage of the 3rd and the final T20I between India and Afghanistan which is taking place at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. India has already clinched the three-match series in a comprehensive way and leads by 2-0. Sixes and fours rained havoc at the Holkar Stadium in Indore as the two Indian southpaws, extremely talented Yashasvi Jaiswal, and the strong bloke Shivam Dube stepped up and helped India chase down a decent total of 172, with their 68 and 63 runs respectively. The visitors have threatened at times but haven’t been able to take control of the two matches gone by and will be hoping to avoid a whitewash.
… MATCH DAY …
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