Chepauk witnessed a blissful Saturday evening where Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal painted a beautiful picture of India’s dominance in white-ball cricket. Afghanistan ran out of breath on course to
218. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was the only ray of hope in that dreaded innings who notched up his maiden ODI hundred and became the first Afghan leader to do so against India. But overall, their strategy to bat first after winning the toss was completely foiled by the men in blue.
A new success story got added to Shubman Gill’s captaincy legend as India outplayed Afghanistan by 9 wickets to finish a 3-0 clean sweep.
Chasing a modest 219, India completed the task with ease, reaching 224 for one in just 28.4 overs, as Hashmatullah Shahidi’s valiant 102 ended up in a losing cause. The chase was headlined by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s second ODI hundred and a commanding opening stand with Rohit Sharma.
With competition intensifying for places at the top, both Rohit and Jaiswal made strong statements. Rohit started cautiously but soon found his rhythm, showcasing his trademark timing, including a stunning inside-out six off Rashid Khan. Jaiswal, in contrast, was fluent from the outset, taking on Azmatullah Omarzai for three boundaries in a 23-run opening over that also included five penalty runs awarded to India.
The duo added 170 runs in just 22.5 overs for the first wicket, effectively sealing the chase early.
Rohit fell attempting a pull off Mohammad Nabi, caught by substitute Sediqullah Atal at deep mid-wicket, but Jaiswal carried on, bringing up a composed century off 83 balls. He fittingly sealed the win with a six off Nabi.
Earlier, Prasidh Krishna’s brilliant spell dismantled Afghanistan’s top order, reducing them to 36 for four. However, Shahidi’s patient 102 off 131 balls ensured the visitors posted 218, lending some respectability to their total.
