Hashmatullah Shahidi Century And Prasidh Krishna Five-For Define India-Afghanistan Third ODI

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi produced the innings of the third India-Afghanistan ODI in Chennai, scoring his maiden one-day international century after a wait of 4,644 days from debut. Hindustan Times reported that Shahidi made 102 from 131 balls as Afghanistan were bowled out for 218 in 44.2 overs at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. Times of India also highlighted the long wait for his first ODI hundred, framing it as a personal milestone in a match otherwise shaped by India's bowling pressure.

The innings mattered because Afghanistan were in serious trouble early. Indian Express live coverage described Prasidh Krishna's new-ball spell as decisive, with Afghanistan losing early wickets and struggling against bounce. Hindustan Times reported that Prasidh took his maiden ODI five-wicket haul, while Shahidi held the innings together with help from Azmatullah Omarzai, who made a half-century, and Mohammad Nabi, who contributed 21. Without that middle-order resistance, Afghanistan could have been dismissed for a much smaller total.

Shahidi's hundred was not a carefree innings. It was a repair job. He had to absorb pressure after early wickets, manage the pace of Chennai's conditions and find scoring options without letting India run through the innings. His celebration after reaching three figures was understandable because it ended a very long personal wait. It also showed Afghanistan's continuing dependence on senior players to stabilise games when the top order is exposed by high-quality seam bowling.

For India, Prasidh's five-for was the more useful selection takeaway. White-ball cricket often rewards pace bowlers who can hit the surface hard and create awkward bounce, especially when the ball is new or a batter is forced to rebuild. The match also featured an unusual fielding pattern, with Rohit Sharma involved in early catches off Prasidh's bowling according to Times of India coverage. That combination of pressure from the bowler and sharp catching prevented Afghanistan from turning starts into a larger total.

The match carried another rare moment when India's chase began with five penalty runs before a ball was bowled. NDTV reported that Afghanistan were penalised because Shahidi ran on the danger area despite warnings. That detail will attract attention because penalty runs are unusual in international cricket, but it should not overshadow the main sporting story: Afghanistan found one outstanding individual innings, while India found a fast-bowling performance that controlled the match situation.

For Afghanistan, the lesson is both encouraging and uncomfortable. Shahidi's century proves the side can produce patient, high-quality batting in Indian conditions, but the collapse around him shows the top order still needs better answers against pace and bounce. For India, the day gave evidence about bench strength and bowling depth during a series already under control. Chennai's third ODI will be remembered less for a final scoreline than for two performances that stood out clearly: Shahidi's overdue hundred and Prasidh Krishna's breakthrough five-wicket spell. Both players gave selectors and analysts something more useful than a routine series note: evidence under pressure. The innings also showed why even a modest target can contain selection clues when the bowling spell, fielding pattern and batting recovery are read together.