India thrash Afghanistan by nine wickets to complete 3-0 ODI series sweep

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prasidh Krishna (AP Photos)

Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed an unbeaten 110 while Rohit Sharma made a fluent 79 as India thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets in Chennai on Saturday to complete a 3-0 clean sweep in the ODI series.

Chasing a modest target of 219, the Indian openers made light work of the task with an impressive 170-run opening partnership. Rohit, after a watchful start, shifted gears and attacked Afghanistan's bowlers, including star spinner Rashid Khan. Jaiswal looked comfortable from the beginning and reached his century in just 83 balls, sealing the match in style with a six. India eventually reached 224 for one in only 28.4 overs. The duo ensured there were no hiccups in the chase, with Jaiswal registering his second ODI hundred and Rohit narrowly missing out on a century after falling for 79. Their aggressive approach put Afghanistan under pressure throughout and left little room for a comeback.

Prasidh Krishna's five-for gives India edge

Earlier, Prasidh Krishna starred with the ball, picking up a career-best 5 for 23 to reduce Afghanistan to 36 for four inside the first 10 overs. The pacer removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Darwish Rasooli in a devastating opening spell. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi then led a spirited fightback with his maiden ODI hundred. The left-hander scored 102 off 131 balls and shared crucial partnerships with Azmatullah Omarzai, who made 50, and Mohammad Nabi to guide the visitors to 218. Despite Shahidi's brave effort, Afghanistan's total proved insufficient. India dominated both with the ball and the bat to wrap up another comprehensive victory and finish the series unbeaten. The visitors also suffered a five-run penalty after Shahidi repeatedly stepped into the danger area of the pitch during the innings.