Chennai, June 20 (IANS) India captain Shubman Gill said a lot of the boxes were ticked after his side completed a 3‑0 sweep of Afghanistan in the ODI series here on Saturday through a nine-wicket victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. India’s dominant victory was set by Prasidh Krishna’s 5-23 and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s hitting an unbeaten 110.

“A lot of the boxes are ticked. We spoke about keeping the intensity in the middle overs and some of the things that we also spoke about was how can we keep creating those opportunities in the middle overs as a bowling unit and as a batting unit, how can we keep pushing for the extra runs in the middle overs and I think a lot of those boxes were ticked,” said Gill at the conclusion of the game.

On Prasidh picking his maiden five-wicket haul, Gill said, “Definitely. I think the first spell bowled by Gurnoor (Brar) and Prasidh was outstanding. To see that kind of pace in those conditions was not easy. But I think they kept putting their effort and kept pushing. I mean, definitely you are tempted to give them that one extra over, but looking at the weather, I did ask them if they wanted to bowl that one extra over, but they were pretty exhausted.”

India’s next assignment is a three-match ODI series in England from July 14-19, and Gill, who also picked the Player of the Series award, said conditions there will be similar to what will be on offer in the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

“Going to England, the conditions would be a little bit more similar to what we get in South Africa, not quite similar, but still close to that. So the kind of combination that we would be looking to play there, hopefully we have all the players fit and ready, it is going to be another great series for us.”

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who struck a fighting 102, lamented the loss of early wickets. “I think today, at the first 10 overs, I think they bowled well, but we lost wickets that put us under pressure. After that, Azmat and I had a good partnership, but again, we didn’t finish well in the batting because after that partnership, we lost back‑to‑back wickets. That’s why we fell short while scoring runs.

“After a long, I think, 95 games, I scored my first 100. I feel good, and Inshallah, I will try my best to, from today, to do it again and again for my country. And yeah, it was so hot, and I was feeling cramping. I’m feeling good now.

He also said they will learn a lot from the mistakes committed in the ODI series defeat to India. “I think we have talented guys, but when it comes to India, playing in India is a tough side, and we will learn. We were not good. We will learn from that.

“Moving forward, I think we are a quality side, but we were away from ODI cricket because last year we played Bangladesh eight months ago. So we play Ireland next, and in the three games, we were lacking, we will work on that, and yeah, the coach is also new, and we will try to work together as a team.”

Prasidh, who returned with figures of 5-23 and picked the Player of the Match award, said his homework in the run-up to the clash was a really good one. “Ice bath’s the only thing remaining now, so my body feels good. Bit of a break after the innings, but good to see the way the batsmen batted. I’m really, really happy for the team.

“I think it’s just that kind of hit the length that, as a team, whatever we discussed, what the tactic is, just trying to do that a lot more, and also preparation‑wise. You just sit back and think about what the games have been like, what you actually want to do, spend more time thinking about it, and it’s just the homework, I would say, that has been really good.

He also credited his fellow bowlers for keeping him in good stead. “Honestly, that’s really helpful when you have some really good bowlers alongside. You keep learning from each other. There’s always a competition in the nets. So that’s what keeps you going when you have the right kind of group around you.

“You always push each other to do better, and I think that’s paid off. Yeah, I did get that thought for a bit, but then I told myself I’ve still got a lot of the game to go. But then I came back in, and I saw, look, four-five wickets, I am definitely happier with the five, but if I hadn’t got it, I’m sure we’d still end up on the winning side. So I’m happy with that.”

–IANS

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