Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss, and Afghanistan elected to bat first in the third ODI against India in Chennai. Team India have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first two ODIs.

After winning the toss, Shahidi decided to bat first after having opted to bowl in the second ODI. The Afghanistan captain mentioned that the extreme heat was one of the reasons why the team decided to bat first.