Prasidh Krishna’s 5-23, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s ton help India finish ODI series in style

CHENNAI: Pacer Prasidh Krishna’s fire and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s flair turned up the heat on Afghanistan here on Saturday and ensured a 3-0 whitewash for the hosts in the ODI series. It was also a timely reminder for India’s selectors, who will choose the ODI team for the England series on Sunday. Prasidh’s maiden five-wicket haul (5-23), followed by a dominant opening stand from centurion Yashasvi (110, 86b; 14×4, 3×6) and Rohit Sharma (79, 69b; 9×4, 3×6), powered India to the comfortable win in 28.4 overs.

While Prasidh was unplayable in his first spell, taking 4-6, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (102, 131b; 13×4, 1×6) stood tall amid the ruins. Battling cramps and the shock of a top-order collapse, he dragged his side from 36-4 to 218 with a gritty century. Yet the total was always going to fall short as India’s openers, in predictably ruthless fashion, made light work of the chase.

While Rohit Sharma answered questions after some modest returns, Yashasvi — still on the fringes of India’s ODI set-up — strengthened his case with a commanding second ODI century in just his sixth appearance.

Earlier in the day, with pace and bounce on offer, Prasidh, the Player of the Match, made full use of the conditions from his very first delivery, which removed the inform Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 218 in 44.2 overs (H Shahidi 102, A Omarzai 50; P Krishna 5-23) lost to India 224/1 in 28.4 overs (Y Jaiswal 110*, R Sharma 79) by 9 wkts.