The Indian cricket team will be aiming for a whitewash when they take the field against Afghanistan today in the third T20I of the series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Team India have already clinched the series and a win tonight will only extend their supremacy in T20I cricket. A whitewash against the Afghan cricket team will also help India in surpassing arch-rivals Pakistan to achieve a massive feat in this format. Both India and Pakistan currently have the joint-most whitewashes (eight) in bilateral series in the history of T20Is. Another victory tonight will enable India to overtake Pakistan’s tally and extend their record to nine whitewashes in the T20I bilateral series.
India vs Afghanistan, 3rd T20I LIVE
The T20I game against Afghanistan in Bengaluru will also be India’s final assignment in this format ahead of the World Cup scheduled to be played later this year in June. Rohit Sharma’s men kicked off the series on a promising note with a six-wicket victory against Afghanistan.
India’s Shivam Dube was the star performer of that game with his sublime all-round prowess. Chasing a total of 159, Dube played a fine knock of unbeaten 60 to guide the hosts to an emphatic victory. The scene did not change much in the penultimate fixture.
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It was Shivam Dube once again who pulled off another brilliant performance with the bat in the second T20I. The southpaw produced an unbeaten knock of 63 off 32 balls as the hosts earned a resounding six-wicket victory to seal the series.
“We have been clear with what we wanted to do, very clear message to everyone and when you see a performance like that, you can be really proud. One thing is talking about it, but to actually go there and play that way is a proud feeling. The last two games, we’ve ticked a lot of boxes,” Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was quoted as saying by news agency PTI during the post-match presentation.
“They’ve had a great couple of years, Jaiswal has played Test cricket now and even T20I. He has shown what he is capable of. He has the talent and has a great range of shots. Dube is a big guy, very powerful and can take on the spinners. That is his role and he has come out and played two crucial innings for us,” the team India captain added.
Apart from the series whitewash, skipper Rohit Sharma will be aiming to regain his form in the final T20I against Afghanistan. Rohit was dismissed for a duck in the opening fixture and failed to score a single run in the second T20I as well. Ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup, Rohit will certainly be eager to find his form back.
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