India Cruise Home in a Shortened Contest
A match cut in half by persistent rain ended with India underlining their dominance, beating Afghanistan by seven wickets in the rain-affected first ODI. Chasing 195 in the 25-over-a-side format, India got there in just 22.5 overs for the loss of only three wickets. Captain Shubman Gill led from the front and stayed unbeaten to steer the side over the line.
Gill and Rahul Make the Target Look Tiny
The chase began with a jolt as opener Rohit Sharma was run out for 16. Gill then rebuilt alongside Ishan Kishan, who made 34, while Shreyas Iyer chipped in with 12. With the third wicket down, KL Rahul walked in and immediately tore into the Afghan attack, smashing an unbeaten 39 off just 19 balls with 4 fours and 3 towering sixes. At the other end, Gill anchored a match-winning unbeaten 84 from 66 deliveries, laced with 11 fours and 2 sixes. None of Afghanistan's bowlers could rein in the Indian batters, with only Rashid Khan and Zia ur Rahman Sharifi managing a wicket apiece.
Gurbaz Storms, Yet Afghanistan Fold for 194
Having lost the toss and batted first, Afghanistan stumbled badly out of the gate as Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar dismantled the top order cheaply. While wickets tumbled at one end, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz carried the fight on his own, blasting 102 off just 51 balls with 8 fours and 8 sixes. In the middle order, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (27) and Azmatullah Omarzai (26) offered some resistance, but the sharp bowling of Indian spinner Harsh Dubey and medium-pacer Gurnoor Brar bundled the side out for 194 in 24.5 overs. Both took three wickets each, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh grabbed two apiece to break the opposition's back.
Delayed Start, but Drainage Saves the Day
Rain played havoc on Saturday and pushed the start back by four hours and 15 minutes. Once the skies cleared, the ground's excellent drainage system ensured little extra time was lost. The match was trimmed to 25 overs a side, and as expected India won the toss and asked Afghanistan to bat first.
Gurbaz Goes on the Attack from Ball One
A proven force in T20 cricket, Gurbaz came out with clear intent. The ball was swinging a touch in the air early on, yet he attacked from the start. He cut Arshdeep for four and then skipped down the track to loft the left-arm quick straight back over his head for six, going on to strike eight fours and as many sixes. Gurbaz could have been dismissed on 14, but Arshdeep and India chose not to review. Cashing in on the reprieve, he brought up his ninth ODI hundred and piled pressure on every bowler. Harsh Dubey's first two overs leaked 26 runs, with Gurbaz pulling two short balls over mid-wicket for six. He also lifted a short delivery from Brar for six and handed out heavy treatment to the likes of Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar. Nitish Kumar, however, bowled with control and picked up two wickets. Gurbaz's dismissal in the 16th over slowed the scoring, and Afghanistan failed to fully capitalise on the strong platform their opener had laid.
Debutants Brar and Dubey Catch the Eye
Both bowlers making their debuts left their mark. Right-arm quick Gurnoor Brar, who had long served as a net bowler with the Indian side, clocked speeds consistently above 145 kmph in his very first over while swinging the ball away. His early deliveries drifted out from a full length, after which he shortened his length and forced opener Ibrahim Zadran into an error, the batter holing out at mid-off while trying to go aerial. The Punjab pacer found instant reward in international cricket, finishing his debut with three wickets for 27 runs in 4.5 overs. Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey was equally impressive, claiming three wickets for 47 on debut. In his second spell, Dubey removed captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (27 off 30 balls), aggressive all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai (26 off 16 balls) and AM Ghazanfar to open his wicket account. Arshdeep Singh took two for 27 and Nitish Kumar Reddy two for 31. Arshdeep had Sediqullah Atal lbw to leave Afghanistan two down for 16, and Rahmat Shah then fell attempting a pull shot, reducing the side to 26 for three.
A Special Record for Gill
With this match-winning knock, Shubman Gill became the fastest Indian batter to reach 3000 runs in ODI cricket.
