India will face Afghanistan in the third and final T20I match of the series on Wednesday, January 17, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
India will look to sweep the Afghans after winning the first two T20Is of the three-match series. India won by six wickets at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, thanks to all-rounder Shivam Dube’s brilliant half-century.
The Men in Blue repeated the feat at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, defeating Afghanistan by six wickets. Dube once again scored an unbeaten half-century, while opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 68 off 34 balls.
Rohit Sharma made his return as India’s captain in the first T20I, after not playing the shortest format of the game in over 14 months. However, his T20I comeback has not gone as planned, as he was dismissed for ducks in both matches.
Meanwhile, India’s superstar batsman Virat Kohli made his T20I comeback, having last played the format in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where England defeated India by 10 wickets in the semi-finals. Kohli scored 29 runs off 16 deliveries, allowing India to easily chase down 173 runs in Indore.
BENGALURU WEATHER REPORT
Today’s weather forecast in Bengaluru predicts clear skies and no rain. There may be a slight cloud cover in the evening, which is expected to decrease as the day progresses.
In the evening, the temperature will range between 20 and 27 degrees Celsius, with a humidity of 50-60%.
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium is known as a batter’s paradise due to its short boundaries. India’s match against Afghanistan promises to be a high-scoring one. All eyes will be on Kohli as he returns to the home ground of his IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, for the series’ final match.
This is India’s final international series before the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 1. India will look to make the most of this match and the upcoming 17th edition of the IPL to determine their lineup for the marquee tournament.