Yashasvi Jaiswal will stay at the top for India in the third ODI against Afghanistan, with Ryan ten Doeschate saying the opener will continue alongside Shubman Gill while KL Rahul remains down the order. India’s assistant coach also said the team is likely to make a few changes after wrapping up the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead.
The timing matters because the question around the Afghanistan national cricket team vs India national cricket team match scorecard is no longer about the result. It is about how India use the last game in Chennai on Saturday, after Friday’s pre-match briefing pointed to selection changes and a chance to test different combinations. That makes the final XI more relevant than the margin of victory already sealed in the series.
Ten Doeschate was blunt about the batting order. He said there was no plan to move Rahul up, and that India would not alter the top three from the previous match. Jaiswal, he said, deserved another go after not getting much of a chance to score last time. The message was clear: India want to keep the opening shape intact even while they look at other options lower down.
That balance is where the decisions get interesting. Ten Doeschate said Arshdeep Singh could be rested after doing very well in the first two matches, with Nitish Reddy among the names who could come in. He also suggested Harshit Rana may not be drafted in straightaway after joining the squad, which leaves the final bowling mix open. For a side already ahead in the series, the match is as much about managing workloads as it is about chasing another win.
Fitness-wise, India sounded calm. Ten Doeschate said Shubman Gill was absolutely fine after the second match at Lucknow, when the heat kept him off the field, and that Ishan Kishan was fine after a shoulder issue. Kishan’s situation is especially relevant because the coach also highlighted his flexibility, saying he can bat high, bat in the middle and keep wicket. That gives India room to experiment without losing too much structure.
The one thing still missing is the final XI. India have already told the story of the series with two wins, but Chennai will tell the next one: whether they keep the same top order, give Arshdeep a break and use the third ODI to widen the pool, or hold back a change until another day. Either way, the selection call will show whether this is still a contest being played for points or one being used to shape the side that comes next.
