The India vs Afghanistan ODI series has been one-way traffic, as Shubman Gill's side have already sealed the series, winning the first two games dominantly. With the third and final ODI scheduled for Saturday, 20th June, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the match will be a dead rubber. India would like to clean sweep the Afghans and keep their momentum high.
Afghanistan has been one of the most improved sides in white-ball cricket. They will look to win the last game and finish the series on a high note. The series win for India marked Shubman Gill’s first victory as a captain, as he 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 back-to-back match-winning knocks of 84 and 154 runs, and won the Player of the Match. The team India captain will look to finish off the series well, as he is already the leading run-getter and might 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-curtailed match, where only they scored 194 runs. The keeper batter has been quite impressive and is using all his experience of playing in India over the years in this series. He would like to take his team home in the upcoming game and play a good knock.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Match Details
Match: India vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI
Series: Afghanistan Tour of India 2026
Date: Saturday, June 20, 2026
Time: 1:30 PM IST
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 different injuries. During the last ODI, Ishan Kishan hurt his shoulder while taking a catch, but hopefully, he will take part, and Gill also did not take the field after having cramps while batting. India have recalled Harshit Rana for the final ODI, and the pacer will be a part of the squad.
Afghanistan also had injury problems with Darwish Rasooli pulling up his hamstring while fielding, and was taken off the field on a stretcher, but came out to bat and could not complete the innings and was taken off yet again. He might 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 Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Allah Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Pitch Report
The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, for the India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI will be turning into a slow wicket, as it has been in Chennai. The pitch will be balanced, and teams winning the toss would like to bat first on a wicket that will be fresh.
As the venue has hosted 39 ODI fixtures, 18 of them were won by the team batting first, while the chasing side won on 20 occasions. However, chasing under lights has been easier, but teams would like to post a big total as the game progresses, the pitch will become slow.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Weather Report
According to the weather prediction, Chennai will have some rain on Saturday, with a 57% chance of precipitation. The highest temperature is expected to reach 34.6°C, while the lowest might be 28.1°C. June in Chennai is also expected to be hot and humid, with typical highs ranging from 35 to 37 degrees Celsius.
While some forecasts indicate that no heavy rain will fall on match day, the 57 percent chance of spotty rain remains a concern, perhaps leading to a rain-shortened clash or delays. Already, the series has seen a shortened match in the first match, where 25 overs each were played.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Head-to-Head Record
Shubman Gill's side has been dominating this India vs Afghanistan fixture over the years across formats. In this format, the two teams have met six times, with India winning five matches and one match ending in a tie, which was back in the Asia Cup 2018.
The Men in Blue have already won the series and would like to continue their winning streak against the Afghans by winning on the weekend in Chennai before they travel to England for their white-ball tour.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Key Battles to Watch
Rohit Sharma vs Rashid Khan
Rohit Sharma has been getting the starts in the match, but has not converted his starts into big scores. He is just one inning away from getting back in form. The veteran opener will be looking to get a big score in the upcoming game as he needs to score runs; otherwise, he will be under immense pressure to lose his place.
Rashid Khan has been in good form in recent times; he picked up the wicket of Rohit in the last match and will look to do the same, as Rashid had the better of Rohit in this format, twice lowering his average to 13 against the Afghan spinner.
Shreyas Iyer vs Nangeyalia Kharoti
Shreyas Iyer has not played much of a part in this series as a batter, as he has just been in his 20s so far. The vice-captain of the India National Cricket Team will be looking to score some big runs in case the wickets tumble down quickly, as he has been doing the job well at the No.4 position over recent years.
Nangeyalia Kharoti is the joint-leading wicket-taker for Afghanistan in this series, picking up four wickets in the 2nd ODI and bowling well in the Test series as well. He will be looking to create trouble in the middle order for India, and his battle with Shreyas will be a key one as he picked his wicket last time they met.
Ibrahim Zadran vs Arshdeep Singh
Ibrahim Zadran has not been at his best in this series; he has looked rusty, as Afghanistan's best ODI batter will look to pile up runs in the third and final ODI match. The opener has got some decent starts but failed to convert, being out cheaply.
Arshdeep Singh has been a totally different bowler for India in this series after a struggling TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 for the Punjab Kings. He has bowled well for the Men in Blue side in this series in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. He will look to dismiss the Afghan opener Zadran once again, as he did in the 2nd ODI.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Players to Watch
India
Rohit Sharma: The 39-year-old opener will be looking to score a big century on Saturday, as he looked in deft touch in the last two games but was dismissed in unfortunate ways. Rohit Sharma has not looked rusty and the 48 in the last innings will surely give him confidence.
Prince Yadav: The Delhi-based pacer was impressive on his debut in the last match, getting a wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, but it was short-lived as it was a no-ball. However, Prince Yadav continued to impress, picking two wickets in the match.
Shreyas Iyer: Shreyas Iyer will be crucial on a pitch like Chennai, where the ball will grip 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 opener needs to provide stability at the top of the order and has been one of Afghanistan's most consistent ODI batters. The visitors will need a big 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 him a crucial player, especially on a surface expected to assist spin in Chennai.
Hashmatullah Shahidi: The Afghanistan captain will be looking to score in the middle overs as he has been a prominent batter in their middle order and played some small knocks in the India vs Afghanistan one-off Test.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Free Live Streaming & Telecast Details
The third One-Day International will be broadcast live on platforms in India. With an active subscription, fans may watch the match live online through the JioHotstar app and website. On television, the fans can watch on Star Sports Network.
The live coverage will begin at 12:30 PM, and the toss is scheduled for 1:00 PM IST, with the match scheduled at 1:30 PM IST in Chennai. The fans are expected to arrive in large numbers at the venue as it has been a happy hunting ground for India.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI Match Prediction
With India winning the first two games in a dominating fashion, it is expected that the Men in Blue will be looking to win this game and keep their winning momentum before travelling to the UK. Shubman Gill and his young side have been brilliant in this series.
On the other hand, Afghanistan will be looking to upset the home side and break India's record of winning streak against Afghanistan in this format and finish the series on a high note. However, as per our prediction, India are going to win this match.
