Why is KL Rahul not playing? Shubman Gill made three changes for the third ODI vs Afghanistan

Indian captain Shubman Gill did not explain the reason for KL Rahul’s absence while speaking at the toss (Image credit: BCCI) NEW DELHI: India made three changes to their playing XI for the third and final ODI against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, with KL Rahul missing out as Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to open first.India have already sealed the three-match series with a 2-0 lead and will be aiming for a clean sweep after their dominant 170-run victory in Lucknow.

Why is KL Rahul not playing against Afghanistan?

India have brought back Prasidh Krishna, Harsh Dubey and Nitish Kumar Reddy for the Chennai ODI. As a result, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and KL Rahul were left out of the playing XI. Nitish returns after missing the second ODI due to left thigh pain while Ishan Kishan takes over the wicket duties.Interestingly, Indian captain Shubman Gill did not explain the reason for Rahul’s absence while speaking at the toss.After losing the toss, Gill admitted that India would prefer to bat first on the Chennai surface.“Looks like a very good wicket. I’d bat first too. It was pretty hot in the last game and it won’t be any different here. It’s about being consistent in the areas we look at. We’ll be chasing in this game and chasing high scores consistently and comfortably is one area we haven’t quite ticked the box yet. That’s what Harsh and Nishidish will change today, Redy. They’re back,” Gill said.Afghanistan captain Shahidi said the conditions and pitch influenced his decision to bat first.“We want to bat first today. It’s always hot in India this month. The wicket looks good too. It’s dry and hard. Hopefully we get a good start in the batting. In the last two matches we missed some areas and didn’t play the way we played in the past. Hopefully we can recover today and have a good partnership and bowl in the right areas. Four changes. Nabi is back, Malik Readse Farsmat from his palm is playing. they are in,” he said Shahid.Afghanistan made four changes to their side, bringing in Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi and Fareed Ahmad Malik.

India vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI: Playing XI

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (week), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik.India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (capt), Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav.Also stay updated about IND VS AFG Match score