Having won the first two matches of this series, India will be keen on making a clean sweep. The third match of this T20I series, slated to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The game will see much action as the surface has always been conducive to positive cricket action.
Afghanistan have already lost the series. Now they will want to make sure they do not concede a whitewash to the Indians, whom they consider to be amongst their biggest rivals.
India possess many top players in their ranks. One must remember that they are playing on home territory. The support from the crowd will allow India to play out of their skins, while it will make Afghanistan extremely uncomfortable. The likes of Shivam Dube and Tilak Varma have come into their own, and they will be keen on carrying their momentum forward.
For Afghanistan, Ibrahim Zadran and Gulbadin Naib have to play vital roles with the bat in hand. The likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi have to be amongst the wickets. The absence of regular skipper Rashid Khan owing to an injury has affected the Afghans terribly, and their lacklustre showing on the field has been a testament to the fact. Had Rashid been available, the Afghans would have been an entirely different side altogether.
Probable Playing XIs
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh.
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad.
Key Players
Shivam Dube: Shivam Dube, who has established himself as one of the finest finishers for India in this format of the game, will be keen on continuing in the same vein of form on Wednesday as well. Dube can hit the ball a long way and rotate the strike quite comfortably when needed.
Gulbadin Naib: Gulbadin Naib has been one of the few bright spots for Afghanistan in this series, and they will be keen on him continuing to fire in the third T20I as well. Naib has been promoted up the order for Afghanistan, and he has repaid the selectors well for the faith they have shown in him.
Match Prediction
India are the overwhelming favourites and effect a clean sweep over their opponents. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's inclusion has strengthened their batting lineup. Now one can expect the duo to fire in Bengaluru. Kohli, who plays at this ground for his IPL franchise, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, will want to mark the occasion with a special knock.