India have rested wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul for today’s third ODI against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rahul is fit and was seen on the field as a temporary substitute during the match, but wasn’t in the playing 11 as the team managed the squad workload by rotating key players.
This match, a dead rubber thanks to India’s unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, provided the perfect opportunity to rest players. Pacer Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav were also omitted from the 11. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate had hinted at it before the match.
“We will be making a few changes from the first two games,” ten Doechate said on Friday. “Part of the brief coming into the series was that we wanted to try a few different combinations
and give everyone a fair share of games. Someone like Arshdeep has bowled very well in the first two games; he can probably take a rest tomorrow, and the same goes for one of the batters. We’ll swap them out and go back to playing a slightly different side.”
Rahul has been playing regularly for the past few months, having represented Delhi Capitals in 14 matches, followed by the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
India’s playing 11 without KL Rahul
Rahul getting the rest allowed the return of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed the last match due to injury. Spinner Harsh Dubey and pacer Prasidh Krishna also returned to the fold.
India’s 11: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (Captain), Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav.
India lost the toss and were asked to field first in the sweltering Chennai heat.
“Looks like a very good wicket,” captain Gill said at the toss. “Would’ve batted first as well. Was pretty hot in the last match and it’s going to be no different here. It’s about being consistent in the areas we’re looking at. We’ll be chasing in this match, and chasing big scores consistently and comfortably is one area where we haven’t quite ticked the box yet. That’s what we’ll be looking at today.”
