Shubman Gill's unbeaten 84 and three-wicket hauls by debutants Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey propelled India to a convincing seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday.
After Brar and Dubey combined to bowl Afghanistan out for 194 in 24.5 overs in a rain-shortened 25-overs-per-side contest, India's batters responded with a blend of aggression and composure, chasing down the target with ease.
India's Chase
Skipper Gill led the chase with a superb unbeaten 84 off 66 deliveries, hitting eight fours and two sixes. He received excellent support from Ishan Kishan (34) and KL Rahul (39 off 19 balls) as India reached the target in just 22.5 overs.
India began the chase with clear intent, making full use of the powerplay overs. Rohit Sharma (16) and Gill looked comfortable, punishing any loose deliveries from the Afghan pacers. However, a miscommunication led to Rohit being run out in the sixth over, leaving India at 47/1.
Left-hander Kishan joined Gill, and the duo immediately took the attack to the opposition, pushing India past the 100-run mark in the 12th over. Gill raced to a half-century off just 37 deliveries.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi turned to Rashid Khan, who broke the threatening 70-run partnership by dismissing Kishan in the 13th over. Rashid struck again shortly after, trapping Shreyas Iyer (12) to give Afghanistan a brief hope at 143/3 after 18 overs.
However, KL Rahul joined Gill and smashed an unbeaten 53-run stand off just 32 deliveries. Rahul took 20 runs off a single over from Zia Ur Rahman, hitting two sixes and two fours. Gill finished the chase with three boundaries off Azmatullah Omarzai, guiding India to victory with 2.1 overs to spare.
Gill's Milestone
Gill also became the second-fastest cricketer to reach 3000 ODI runs, achieving the milestone in 62 innings, behind only Hashim Amla (57 innings).
Afghanistan's Innings
Earlier, the match was reduced to 25 overs per side after rain delayed the start by more than four hours. Each team was allowed a maximum of five bowlers, each bowling up to five overs.
India handed debuts to Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar, and the duo made an immediate impact, sharing six wickets between them with three each.
Asked to bat first, Afghanistan got off to a shaky start. Brar struck early, dismissing Ibrahim Zadran for one run. Arshdeep Singh then removed Sediqullah Atal for a duck and Rahmat Shah for three.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and skipper Shahidi then stitched a vital partnership to revive the innings. Gurbaz brought up his ninth ODI hundred in the 15th over, scoring 102 off 51 balls with eight fours and six sixes. He and Shahidi added 116 runs off 66 balls for the fourth wicket, the second-best century stand for Afghanistan in ODIs in terms of run rate.
Nitish Reddy clean-bowled Gurbaz for 102. Dubey then struck twice in an over, removing Shahidi (27), Azmatullah Omarzai (26), and AM Ghazanfar (0). Brar returned to dismiss Rashid Khan (9) and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi (4), bundling Afghanistan out for 194 in 24.5 overs.
With this win, India takes a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
