Prince Yadav during a practice session in Chennai on Friday.
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu
India, having clinched the ODI series against Afghanistan with victories in the first two outings in Dharamshala and Lucknow, is set to try out the bench strength in the third and final game here on Saturday (June 20, 2026) .
Speaking ahead of the match, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate was full of praise for the young crop of Indian fast bowlers heading into next year’s ODI World Cup.
“When we got together in Chandigarh to see those young guys come in and bowl, it was literally like a wow moment. The way Gurnoor (Brar) has bowled in his first two games, and seeing a young Indian pacer hit 147-148 kph, is exciting,” said ten Doeschate.
“For the next 15 months, it’s purely around that (ODI World Cup). To amalgamate the talent with the guys coming through and get them up to speed, really, really quickly, is going to be the challenge for this group.”
On Kuldeep Yadav’s form, the former Dutch all-rounder backed the left-arm wrist-spinner to come good soon. “The way the game is evolving and the way guys go after the spin, the onus is back on the spinner to almost reinvent himself from time to time. Having Sairaj (Bahutule) in now, to work with the spinners on a lot of tactical things, game planning and trying to come up with new ideas, I think Kuldeep is travelling nicely, so no concerns about him,” he added.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan fielding coach John Mooney conceded that the current series has exposed the gulf between the two sides.
“The takeaway from the series is that skills-wise, they have a lot to do to catch up with this Indian team. I believe our players have fantastic skills as well. But the best players stick to the basics. They do the basics over and over and over and over, and I feel that that’s an area where our players could improve,” said Mooney.
Published – June 20, 2026 03:32 am IST
