Team India will face Afghanistan at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, June 20 in the third and final ODI of the series. The Men in Blue have already clinched the series by winning the first two matches and will be keen to complete a whitewash.
India won the first ODI in Dharamsala by seven wickets. In a rain-curtailed game reduced to 25 overs per side, they held Afghanistan to 194 and then chased the target in 22.5 overs. In the second ODI in Lucknow, they posted 402 courtesy of tons from Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan and then held Afghanistan to 232.
Having already clinched the ODI series, India have the opportunity to experiment with their playing XI in the dead rubber against Afghanistan in Chennai. On that note, let’s look at three changes India can make for the third ODI at Chepauk.
#1 Harshit Rana for Arshdeep Singh
Pacer Harshit Rana has been added to the Indian squad for the third ODI against Afghanistan. The 24-year-old sustained a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa just ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in India and was subsequently ruled out of the entire ICC event. The fast bowler went on to miss IPL 2026 as well.
Harshit had been undergoing rehabilitation at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) and has been declared fit and available for selection. In fact, he has even linked up with other members of the Men in Blue squad in Chennai. Harshit is being groomed as a bowling all-rounder for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The dead rubber against Afghanistan will be a good low-pressure game for his comeback.
Team India can pick him for the Chennai ODI against Afghanistan by resting Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm pacer has been playing non-stop cricket over the last few months and looked rather jaded during IPL 2026. A short break, even if it is for just one match, will be a well-deserved one for the left-arm pacer
#2 Harsh Dubey for Washington Sundar
Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey made his international debut in the first ODI against Afghanistan in Dharamsala. He was expensive in his first two overs in the rain-shortened match, but made a good comeback to finish with figures of 3-47 from five overs. Dubey got the scalps of Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Allah Ghazanfar.
Despite the impressive debut, he was not picked for the second one-dayer against Afghanistan in Lucknow. Former India pacer Mohit Sharma even questioned the decision to leave out Dubey after one match. Speaking on Cricbuzz, he said:
“The decision that has disappointed me is that one, the one to drop Harsh Dubey. They could have given him one more chance. You have already seen Kuldeep Yadav, and what he can do; he is a player for the big matches; he has performed a lot for the team, so Dubey should have been given another go.”
Dubey could come into the Indian playing XI in Chennai in place of Washington Sundar. The latter scored a run-a-ball 19 in Lucknow and registered figures of 1-24 from seven overs. Apart from being a left-arm spinner, Dubey is also a handy lower-order batter, so Team India could test out his skills with the bat if the opportunity arises in the third one-dayer.
#3 Prasidh Krishna for Gurnoor Brar
Prasidh Krishna played the first ODI in Dharamsala and registered figures of 0-35 from five overs. He was not picked for the second one-dayer in Lucknow. India have been backing Prasidh to come good in ODI cricket. The 30-year-old fast bowler from Karnataka can come in for pacer Gurnoon Brar in Chennai.
Brar has made an impressive debut in the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan. He claimed 3-27 from 4.5 overs in the first one-dayer in Dharamsala and followed it up with 3-60 in Lucknow. The 26-year-old has made a significant impact with his pace. With the series in the bag, Brar can be given a rest in Chennai.
Edited by Renin Wilben Albert