Three days after Ishan Kishan made a compelling case for his place in the XI, Yashasvi Jaiswal sent a reminder on Saturday night that he too is in the race with a fluent century. But not before Rohit Sharma, whose spot is under scrutiny, showed he is no pushover with a measured 79 off 69. All of it unfolded under the watch of the selectors, who will have a tough call when they meet to pick the squad for the England ODIs.
Courtesy a 170-run opening stand between Jaiswal and Rohit, India comfortably chased down Afghanistan’s 218, a total made possible largely by skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi’s maiden ODI century (102). It was an innings that rescued the visitors from a deep hole after Prasidh Krishna reduced them to 36/4 inside ten overs. On a Chepauk surface with considerable bounce, Prasidh hit the hard lengths well and the movement he generated troubled Afghanistan’s top order, with the top three all caught at first slip by Rohit.
More than the bowling, all eyes were on India’s top three. That the team management chose not to alter the opening combination revealed as much: this is a shootout stage, with possibly only two spots in the 15 between Rohit, Jaiswal and Ishan. With Ishan being a wicketkeeper who brings versatility to the batting order, his place appears all but sealed for the upcoming trips to England and Sri Lanka.
Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed his second ODI century during 3rd ODI India vs Afghanistan. (CREIMAS FOR BCCI)
So it is left between Rohit and Jaiswal. Beginning the chase, it was the southpaw who set the tone with full intent. Afghanistan’s seamers tried to exploit the bounce, but Jaiswal, who has a fierce cut, feasted on them early. As he began fluently, Rohit started scrappily, nudging here and there, bringing up his first boundary with a top-edge. In successive innings, his bread-and-butter pull shot had looked slow to trigger. Jaiswal, by contrast, was in total control, his pulls telling you he was in a punishing mood.
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But Rohit embraced the struggle. Rather than the quickfire knocks typical of his style, he was measured, taking time to settle. With the crowd fully behind him, some of the cheers louder for Rohit than for Jaiswal, it felt like he had found the perfect day to send a message. And he did. A six and a boundary got him going. Having struggled against Rashid Khan in the previous innings, he used his sweep to good effect, bringing up his fifty with a trademark stroke. Beyond that were two delightful flicks over mid-wicket, one foot leaving the ground on contact. A century was there for the taking before he was caught at deep mid-wicket.
Prasidh Krishna picked a five-wicket haul against Afghanistan in 3rd ODI in Chennai. (CREIMAS FOR BCCI)
If Rohit couldn’t complete the job, Jaiswal was intent on finishing it. Having scored a century against New Zealand two innings earlier, questions remained around his ability to pace an innings, with head coach Gautam Gambhir pointing out how he had struggled in Visakhapatnam. Here in Chennai, his 110 came off 86 balls. It was not overtly aggressive, nor was there much room to pace it differently given the situation. But his unbeaten knock was built largely on boundaries (74 of his runs). There is still room for his ODI game to expand. Whether he can do so without consistent game time is a question for the selectors.
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Both Jaiswal and Rohit had Shahidi to thank. Without his century, the chase might have been far less meaningful. Winning the toss and batting first on a hot and humid afternoon, Afghanistan’s top order wilted quickly. Prasidh, fresh from a strong IPL season, was not carried away by the bounce on offer. He hit the right lengths, the kind that leave batsmen uncertain whether to go forward or back, and saw them edge to the cordon. At 36/4, Afghanistan were sliding, but Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai revived them with a 105-run fifth-wicket stand.
With India’s seamers predictable in their lengths, Shahidi picked the right pockets. Like Jaiswal later, he relied on cuts and upper cuts, showing the imagination to ramp as well, slowly steadying his side. Beyond that partnership there was little from Afghanistan, as Shahidi reached his maiden century before falling to Prasidh, who finished with five wickets.
