In a rain-marred series opener in Dharamsala on Saturday, India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets thanks to a magnificent performance from captain Shubman Gill, followed by an impressive debut by pacer Gurnoor Brar.
India’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup began with this match, and despite persistent rain delaying the match by four and a half minutes and reducing it to 25 overs each side, the hosts ultimately met most of the requirements.
After choosing to field, India knocked Afghanistan out for 194 thanks to a superb 102 from Rahmanullah Gurbaz off just 51 balls and three wickets each from debutants Brar and Harsh Dubey.
India easily reached the mark in 22.5 overs thanks to Gill’s outstanding performance across three forms (84 not out off 66). Given the circumstances, KL Rahul (39 not out off 19) also performed admirably in his cameo, which included a sophisticated six over extra cover off Zia Ur Rahman.
In the sixth over of the run chase, Gill’s opening partner Rohit Sharma (16 off 16) was run out after Gill declined his request for a dangerous single. Rohit was not at his best because he was concentrating on his form and conditioning, but he did produce a drive on the up and six off his signature pull shot.
In his ODI comeback at number three, Ishan Kishan (34 off 22) looked good before getting outclassed by a googly from Rashid Khan.
After starting with a calming cover drive off pacer Zia Ur Rahman, Gill scored the most of his magnificent boundaries against the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi, and AM Ghazanfar. With a particularly impressive six over mid-wicket, Gill also sent his Gujarat Titans partner Rashid Khan to the cleaners.
Thanks to the freshly installed subair drainage system at the stadium, not much time was lost once the skies cleared.
After the one-off Test in Mullanpur, rival coach Gautam Gambhir gave Gurbaz, a proven player in 120 cricket, advice that helped him approach the abbreviated match with a clear attitude. For the record, Gurbaz had a significant role in the KKR team’s 2024 IPL victory.
Gurbaz took the initiative right away, cutting Arshdeep for a four before stepping out to hit the left-arm pacer down the ground for a maximum. The ball was moving a little in the air early on.
Prior to receiving his ODI cap from skipper Shubman Gill on Saturday, the 6-foot-5-inch-tall Brar (3/27 in 4.5 overs), who had been a net bowler for the Indian squad for a considerable amount of time, regularly registered 145 kmph or more in his first over and got the ball to form away.
The Punjab fast bowler achieved immediate success in international cricket when his first couple of balls swung away from a full length before pulling his length back to cause opener Ibrahim Zadran to make a mistake and be caught at mid-off with an aerial hit.
After Arshdeep trapped Sediqullah Atal in front with a ball that did little, Afghanistan was reduced to 16 for two. When Rahmat Shah mistimed his pull off Arshdeep, he was caught by another rookie, Harsh Dubey, who was sprinting backwards from his mid-wicket position, making it 26 for three.
Arshdeep and India chose not to go for a review, even though Gurbaz would have been determined leg earlier on the 14th. For Gurbaz to play a memorable knock, that was all the luck he needed. Eight fours and eight sixes were part of his ninth ODI century.
With his aggressive strokeplay, he placed pressure on the bowlers, notably rookie left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey (3/47 in 5 overs). Gurbaz punished Dubey’s two short balls for a maximum over mid-wicket, and the opening two overs went for 26 runs.
Along with treating players like Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar with contempt, Gurbaz also hit a short ball from Brar for maximum. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar Reddy (2/31) took a few wickets while bowling steadily.
Afghanistan was unable to capitalize on the opening over’s platform when Gurbaz was dismissed in the sixteenth over, slowing down the run rate.
In his second spell, Dubey did manage to get into the wickets column by dismissing AM Ghazanfar, the explosive all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai (26 off 16), and Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (27 off 30).
