IND vs AFG: Krishna's fifer, Jaiswal's ton sink Afghanistan by 9 wickets as India sweep ODI series 3-0

India's dominance continued as they crushed Afghanistan by nine wickets in the third ODI at Chepauk to seal 3-0 clean sweep in the series.

India thrash Afghanistan to sweep ODI series 

Handed a below par target of 219 after Hashmatullah Shahidi's gritty century, India's openers in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma put on a show with the bat. While Yashasvi Jaiswal cracked a scintillating yet unbeaten 110, Rohit cracked a quickfire 69-ball 79 to help India chase down the total in 28.4 overs.

Prasidh Krishna stands tall with fifer, Hashmatullah Shahidi's ton in vain

Batting first Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi played a magnificent rescue knock of 102 from 131 balls to pull his team out of an early tailspin and lift them to a total of 218. The visitors had been left reeling at a dismal 36/4 after a devastating opening burst from India's pace attack tore through the top order. Refusing to back down, Shahidi fought back by anchoring a crucial 100-run partnership with Azmatullah Omarzai, who contributed a vital half-century, before stitching together another handy stand with veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi to steady the ship.

Once Nabi fell with the scoreboard reading 198, the Indian bowlers wasted no time in wrapping up the lower order, dismissing Afghanistan for 218 in 44.2 overs. Leading this clinical bowling performance was Prasidh Krishna, who spearheading a youthful attack in the absence of the rested Arshdeep Singh. The tall, lanky speedster ran through the opposition with a phenomenal spell of fast bowling, taking a historic 5/23 in his 8.2 overs to register the best-ever ODI bowling figures at the Chennai venue.

Prasidh's lethal spell also earned him a special place in cricket history, as he claimed his second career five-wicket haul by single-handedly dismissing every single member of Afghanistan's top five batters. By capping off his dominant display with the prized wicket of the centurion Shahidi, Prasidh became only the third Indian bowler in the history of ODI cricket to clean up an opponent's entire top five.

ALSO READ: Women's T20 World Cup: Australia record hat-trick of wins after crushing Netherlands by 98 runs

Yashasvi Jaiswal tonks ton, Rohit roars with 69-ball 79

India's run chase began at a furious pace as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma put together a commanding opening partnership that completely dismantled the target. Jaiswal went on the attack immediately, setting the tone by smashing three boundaries in the very first over of the innings. The fluent left-hander showcased brilliant strokeplay, racing to a rapid half-century off just 39 deliveries and driving the team past the 100-run milestone inside 13 overs.

At the other end, Rohit adopted a more measured approach early on before shifting gears. After scoring just 10 runs from his first 17 balls, the Indian skipper found his rhythm by taking on Zia Ur Rahman for a boundary in the sixth over, followed by another four and a six in the eighth. He then targeted Rashid Khan, sweeping the leg-spinner to bring up a 47-ball fifty before punishing him further with consecutive boundaries and a massive six.

Just as the captain looked destined to convert his explosive start into a century, his innings was cut short on 79 off 69 balls. Attempting another aggressive aerial shot against Mohammad Nabi, Rohit mistimed the hit and holed out to the fielder at deep mid-wicket.

Despite his dismissal, the foundation had been laid perfectly. India breezed through the remainder of the chase, reaching the 219-run target in just 28.4 overs to seal a comprehensive series whitewash. Following equally convincing victories in Dharamshala and Lucknow, this triumph marked India's 18th clean sweep in a bilateral ODI series.