Afghanistan Bet on Rashid-Nabi-Ghazanfar Spin Wall to Rattle India as Three-Match ODI Series Gets Underway

With the lone Test behind them, India and Afghanistan turn to a three-match ODI series starting Saturday, 13 June, and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi is convinced his spin trio can upset the hosts.

The red-ball chapter is closed, and the India-Afghanistan contest now shifts to the 50-over arena. With the three-match ODI series beginning on Saturday, 13 June, the visiting camp is brimming with belief — and at the heart of that confidence sits a single weapon. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi insists it is spin that can tilt the result Afghanistan's way against the hosts.

Spin Is Afghanistan's Trump Card
Speaking to the media ahead of the opening fixture, Shahidi made no secret of where his team's hopes lie in what is their first bilateral series against India. Everything, he suggested, hinges on the trio of Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar and Mohammad Nabi, with Rashid leading the attack and the skipper confident the three can tie down the home batters.

Shahidi framed the Indian conditions as an advantage rather than a hurdle. ‘We have experience of playing on this ground. The last time we played here was against Bangladesh in the 2023 World Cup. I still remember it. The heat in India helps spinners, so it is beneficial for us to have such spinners,’ he said.

Respect for India, but No Inferiority Complex
The Afghan captain is well aware of the strength he is up against. He acknowledged that India are a formidable side in the ODI format, a team that has only recently contested a World Cup final. Yet Afghanistan refuse to see themselves as makeweights. ‘India is a strong team in the ODI format. They have played a World Cup final. We will start our World Cup preparation from here. We don't yet know which teams will qualify, but we are ranked seventh in the ICC ODI rankings,’ Shahidi said.

The First Step Towards the 2027 World Cup
This series is about more than points or pride. For both India and Afghanistan, these matches mark the opening of their build-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup. That marquee event is scheduled for October-November 2027 in South Africa, and every side is already busy testing combinations with one eye on the bigger prize.

Afghanistan Squad for the ODI Series
Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Zia ur Rahman Sharifi, Farid Malik, Bilal Sami.

India's Likely Squad
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.

What this means for you
What this means for cricket fans:

• Starting 13 June, this three-match series is the first-ever bilateral ODI contest between India and Afghanistan, offering fans a fresh and intriguing match-up to follow.
• Both teams are using it to kick off their 2027 World Cup build-up, so the form of players like Shubman Gill and Rashid Khan offers an early glimpse of what to expect at the big event.

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