3 players who starred and 2 who flopped for India in 3rd T20I vs Afghanistan ft. Rohit Sharma & Sanju Samson
Team India completed a 3-0 whitewash over Afghanistan as they clinched the final T20I after two thrilling Super Overs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 17.
It was a mixed bag for the Men in Blue, who were carried by a few notable individual displays in the dead-rubber clash. Some of their new entrants in the XI failed to deliver, while at the same time, some who had been struggling for form yielded returns.
On that note, here are three players who starred and two who flopped for Team India in the third T20I against Afghanistan.
#5 Star - Washington Sundar
![Washington Sundar [right] picked up three wickets in three overs](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/e918d-17055725748303-1920.jpg?w=500)
Ahead of the third T20I, Washington Sundar's place in the Indian side was under question. He had bowled six overs in the first two matches that went for 50 runs and hadn't gotten to bat.
However, Sundar came up with a promising display in challenging conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The off-spinner's two-wicket burst in his second over put Afghanistan back in trouble. Just when it seemed like the visitors were storming back, he came up with a five-run over and the wicket of the rampaging Mohammad Nabi.
Sundar, whose three overs went for just 18 runs and yielded three wickets, also took an excellent catch. He will want to build on this display.
#4 Flop - Avesh Khan
Granted an opportunity to impress, with Arshdeep Singh being rested, Avesh Khan turned in a woeful performance that seriously dented his chances of being part of India's T20 World Cup squad.
Avesh leaked 55 runs in the four overs he bowled. Two of them came under testing circumstances, with Afghanistan's batters taking the attack to him. His third and fourth overs, with the latter being the 19th over of the second innings, nearly cost India the game.
Avesh did pick up one wicket, but his economy rate of 13.75 was the third-worst among all 12 bowlers and the worst on the Indian team.
#3 Star - Rohit Sharma
Coming into the game without a single run to his name since his T20I comeback, Rohit Sharma's innings got off to the worst possible start. He glanced a four, only for umpire Virender Sharma to adjudge it leg-byes. His knock was scratchy to begin with, and India losing four wickets cheaply didn't help matters.
From then, though, Rohit made the most of his final T20I chance ahead of the T20 World Cup. The Indian skipper weathered the early storm, and even though the wicket was two-paced and offered turn, he looked to play his shots.
Once set, there are very few players as destructive as Rohit. He made the Afghanistan bowlers pay, striking 11 fours and eight sixes in one of his best-ever T20 centuries.
Rohit also made valuable contributions in the two Super Overs and was the blatantly obvious choice for the Player of the Match award.
#2 Flop - Sanju Samson
Jitesh Sharma bagged a two-ball duck in the second T20I, and India decided to give Sanju Samson a go in the Bengaluru clash. Unfortunately, the keeper-batter scored just as many runs and lasted one ball fewer.
Samson attempted a pull off his first ball, even though India had already lost three wickets in the powerplay. The pitch wasn't conducive to such a shot early in the batter's innings, and the ensuing top-edge was easily gobbled up.
Samson is running out of time to stake a claim for a spot in India's first-choice T20I side. Even if he has a prolific Indian Premier League campaign, he may not make the grade.
#1 Star - Rinku Singh
In contrast to Samson, Rinku Singh is a player who has grabbed every opportunity that has come his way at the international level. The southpaw had to take on a different role in the third T20I as he came to the crease inside the powerplay, and he passed with flying colors.
Rinku took some pressure off Rohit at the other end, and once the Indian skipper found his groove, he was more than happy to turn the strike over. Eventually, at the death, the 26-year-old cut loose and finished the innings with some huge hits over the midwicket fence.
It would be a crime if Rinku isn't on the plane to the West Indies and the USA.