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India
Afghanistan
The 3rd T20I between Afghanistan and India will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, with India already leading the three-match series 2-0. India will look to complete a clean sweep after winning both matches while chasing targets of more than 150 runs. Their batting will again be a key factor, with the same core of batters providing runs in the first two games.
Afghanistan will need a better performance with both bat and ball to avoid another defeat. Their bowlers will have to find ways to restrict India's scoring, while the batters will need to put up a stronger total.
India will enter the final match with a clear advantage in the head-to-head record, having won all 6 of their last 6 meetings against Afghanistan. 4 of those 6 victories have come while chasing, which will also make the toss and first-innings total important factors in this match.
Abhishek Sharmaβs recent scores of 82 (32) and 39 (19), along with his 190.01 T20I strike rate, make him a strong option to score freely at the top once again.
The betting tip is...
Abhishek Sharma - Over 25.5 runs
61 %
39 %
IndiaAfghanistanVarun Chakravarthy was ruled out of the remaining T20Is due to injury, with Ravi Bishnoi replacing him in the second match. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened again and gave India another strong start.
Samson scored 57 off 22, Abhishek made 39 off 19, while Ishan Kishan added 38 off 23. India lost only 3 wickets while chasing, compared to Afghanistan's 8 wickets.
Nitish Kumar Reddy led the bowling with 3/24, while Arshdeep Singh took 2/35. Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and Jasprit Bumrah picked up 1 wicket each. Bumrah was the most economical of the Indian bowlers and also bowled a maiden over.
Samson, Abhishek and Kishan are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi
Rashid Khan remains 4 wickets away from becoming the first bowler to reach 200 T20I wickets. He took 3/36 in the second T20I and was the only Afghanistan bowler to make breakthroughs.
Naveen-ul-Haq could return after two years, while Afghanistan had used four spinners and only two pacers, Azmatullah Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi, in the first match. One of Mujeeb Ur Rahman or Noor Ahmad is expected to miss the next game.
Ibrahim Zadran scored 37 off 33 in the second T20I, but wickets kept falling at the other end. Rashid Khan scored 28 off 16, while Darwish Rasooli made 26 off 15. Afghanistan's top order had struggled in both games and needed to contribute more in the final match.
Zadran, Rashid and Omarzai are the key players in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi
India will again have a strong chance to control the powerplay, with Abhishek Sharma expected to take the aggressive approach. He will come into the match after scoring 39 off 19 in the second T20I, following his fifty in the opening game. His T20I strike rate of 190.01 will allow him to put pressure on Afghanistan's new-ball bowlers and build an early advantage for India.
Sanju Samson will also provide another attacking option at the top, while Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma will add depth to India's batting. Afghanistan's bowlers struggled to contain India in the first two games, and their top order also failed to give enough support.
With India's batting maintaining good form, Abhishek Sharma should have another opportunity to make a useful contribution at the top.
