India will take on Afghanistan in the third and final ODI of the series on Saturday, June 20. Having already won the first two games, India aims for a clean sweep. This match is set to take place at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, marking India’s return to this historic venue for a one-day International after nearly three years.
Rohit Sharma, the Indian opener, has struggled at this venue, scoring only 140 runs in eight matches with a low average of 20.00. In contrast, Rahmat Shah from Afghanistan has scored the most runs at this stadium, totaling 113 runs in two innings, which includes an unbeaten 77.
Kuldeep Yadav is expected to play and is currently the most successful Indian bowler at this ground, having taken seven wickets in four matches, averaging 25.14, with a best performance of 3-56. Azmatullah Omarzai leads the Afghan bowling attack with three wickets in two matches and hopes to improve his record in Chennai.
India has a solid record at this venue in ODIs. They first played here during the 1987 World Cup against Australia, where they lost. Since then, they’ve significantly improved, winning eight out of 16 matches played here (including one abandoned match).
In their latest match in Chennai, India successfully chased down Australia’s target, thanks to efforts from Virat Kohli, who scored 85, and KL Rahul, who remained unbeaten at 97 during the 2023 ODI World Cup. The upcoming match against Afghanistan is expected to be interesting as it will be the first day game at the renovated venue.
India in ODI matches at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
| Matches Played | Matches Won | Matches Lost | No Results | First-ever Fixture | Most Recent Fixture |
| 16 | 08 | 06 | 02 | October 09, 1987 (Lost) | October 08, 2023 (Won) |
India’s ODI matches at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
| Opposition | Date | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 9 Oct 1987 | lost | 1 runs |
| West Indies | 23 Oct 1994 | won | 4 wickets |
| Pakistan | 21 May 1997 | lost | 35 runs |
| England | 25 Jan 2002 | won | 4 wickets |
| New Zealand | 23 Oct 2003 | N/R | – |
| South Africa | 22 Nov 2005 | Abandoned | – |
| West Indies | 27 Jan 2007 | lost | 3 wickets |
| New Zealand | 10 Dec 2010 | won | 8 wickets |
| West Indies | 20 Mar 2011 | won | 80 runs |
| West Indies | 11 Dec 2011 | won | 34 runs |
| Pakistan | 30 Dec 2012 | lost | 6 wickets |
| South Africa | 22 Oct 2015 | won | 35 runs |
| Australia | 17 Sep 2017 | won | 26 runs |
| West Indies | 15 Dec 2019 | lost | 8 wickets |
| Australia | 22 Mar 2023 | lost | 21 runs |
| Australia | 8 Oct 2023 | won | 6 wickets |
(Data Source: Cricinfo)