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Match 3 | India vs Afghanistan ODI Series 2026 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 20 June 2026
With the series already won 2-0, India’s 3rd ODI in Chennai is about squad data rather than results. Gurnoor Brar has taken six wickets across both matches and is the strongest argument for continuity, while Harsh Dubey and Prasidh Krishna both need more time after being dropped for the second game. Rashid Khan took three wickets in Lucknow and remains the only visiting bowler who genuinely troubled India’s top order. The dead rubber offers both sides a chance to answer questions a series win can’t.
India made the series safe when Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan turned the Lucknow match into a batting statement. Gill’s 154 off 110 balls, and Kishan’s 125 off 79, helped India post 402 all out, before Arshdeep Singh (3 for 45) and Brar (3 for 60) dismissed Afghanistan for 232 in 44.3 overs. Among Afghanistan’s attack, Rashid returned 3 for 48 in a chase India had under control almost from the moment Gill and Kishan found their feet.
No official statement on rotation plans for Chennai has come from team management, though the context makes selection changes almost certain. Bumrah and Siraj were rested from the entire series for workload management ahead of a longer cycle, and the Afghanistan fixtures were framed as a development opportunity from the start.
Spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule spoke before the second match about the current period as a transitional one for India’s spin options, making clear that the right players with the right attributes would get chances. Fast bowling coach Morne Morkel framed the same philosophy around the broader 2027 World Cup picture, pointing to internal development as the priority rather than match-by-match results.
Gurnoor Brar is the clearest argument for continuity in Chennai. His six wickets from two matches at a combined economy around 5.80 make him the most consistent bowler in India’s attack across the series, and the 3 for 27 in the rain-reduced first match at Dharamsala remains the best individual bowling return by any India bowler in this series.
He’s held his pace across 15 overs at this level, regularly touching 145 kilometres per hour. The Chennai pitch adds a third surface type to his data, which matters more for the coaching staff than the dead rubber result itself.
Harsh Dubey and Prasidh Krishna both need more cricket after being dropped for the second game. Dubey’s 3 for 47 from five overs in the opening match cost 9.40 runs per over, expensive even in the shorter format, and Bahutule’s endorsement of him as a future all-rounder means more appearances will come.
Prasidh played the first match without taking a wicket, with his exact overs and runs unavailable from scorecards reviewed, and was then replaced by Prince Yadav on debut for the second game. The 3rd ODI offers both players a chance to put one more performance on record before the squad leaves for Ireland.
| Bowler | Team | Matches | Wickets | Economy | Best Figures |
| Gurnoor Brar | IND | 2 | 6 | 5.80 (combined) | 3/27 (Match 1) |
| Harsh Dubey | IND | 1 (dropped M2) | 3 | 9.40 | 3/47 (Match 1) |
| Prasidh Krishna | IND | 1 (dropped M2) | 0 | Not confirmed | 0 wkts (Match 1) |
| Rashid Khan | AFG | 2 (M1 figures unconfirmed) | 3 (confirmed M2) | Not confirmed | 3/48 (Match 2) |
Of all the bowling in this series, Rashid’s second match performance stands apart. The backdrop of 402 all out makes Rashid’s 3 for 48 worth noting on its own terms. Two of those scalps, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, came to the same googly variation, and taking wickets at the top of an order that posted that kind of total says something about the quality of the delivery rather than the conditions.
His first match figures from the Dharamsala rain-reduced game couldn’t be confirmed from available scorecards. What is clear is that he’s the only bowler on either side who has taken wickets at the top of India’s order rather than mopping up the tail in this series, and Chennai gives him one more opportunity to add to that tally. The India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI bowlers rotation question is really about what India’s management learns from the data, with the England and Ireland tours beginning within the next two weeks.
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Has India already won the ODI series against Afghanistan?
Yes, India won the series 2-0 after their 170-run victory in Lucknow on June 17. The 3rd ODI in Chennai is a dead rubber with no impact on the series result.
Who are India’s reserve bowlers in this series?
Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, and Prasidh Krishna are the three fringe pace and spin options. Bumrah and Siraj were rested from the entire series for workload management.
How many wickets has Rashid Khan taken in this series?
Rashid took three confirmed wickets from the second match, all against India’s top order. His figures from the first match’s rain-reduced game in Dharamsala could not be confirmed from available scorecards.
When does India tour England next?
India’s England tour runs from July 1 to July 19, covering five T20Is and three ODIs. Before that, they play two T20Is in Belfast on June 26 and June 28.
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