India complete clean sweep with dominant win
India defeated Afghanistan by 8 wickets in the third T20I in Bengaluru on June 20, 2026, to complete a 3-0 series sweep. Prasidh Krishna starred with 4 wickets, while Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored with 88 runs off 58 balls. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was penalised for running on the pitch, a rare incident that affected the team's start.
Shahidi's century and pitch penalty
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first. Hashmatullah Shahidi played a captain's knock, scoring 102 off 68 balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes. However, early in the innings, he was penalised for running on the pitch, resulting in a 5-run penalty against Afghanistan. This meant India started their chase at 5/0 without facing a ball. Shahidi later admitted his mistake, saying, "It was an error on my part, but I'm proud of the way we fought."
Prasidh Krishna's four-wicket haul
Prasidh Krishna was the pick of the Indian bowlers, finishing with figures of 4/28 in his 4 overs. He dismissed openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (12) and Hazratullah Zazai (0) early, then returned to remove Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran (15). His yorkers and bouncers troubled the Afghan batsmen throughout. India's bowling attack restricted Afghanistan to 198/6 in 20 overs, despite Shahidi's century.
Jaiswal and Gaikwad's solid partnership
Chasing 194 (adjusted for the penalty), India openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad added 135 runs for the first wicket. Jaiswal struck 88 off 58 balls, including 11 fours and 2 sixes, before being caught off Fareed Ahmad. Gaikwad contributed 52 off 38 balls, hitting 6 fours and 1 six. Captain Suryakumar Yadav (22*) and Shivam Dube (15*) finished the chase with 11 balls to spare.
Series performance and takeaways
India dominated the series, winning the first two matches by 6 wickets and 7 wickets respectively. Prasidh Krishna was named Player of the Series for taking 8 wickets across three matches. Jaiswal finished as the leading run-scorer with 198 runs at an average of 66.00. Afghanistan's Shahidi was the only batsman to score a century in the series. India's next assignment is a T20I series against England starting July 1.
