Following India's whitewash series win over Afghanistan, skipper Shubman Gill admitted that the team ticked a lot of boxes with both bat and ball in the middle overs during the series. He also anticipates the ODI series challenge in England, where conditions will be similar to those in South Africa, the host of the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Gill's First Series Win as ODI Captain
After a setback in Australia and a series loss to New Zealand at home earlier this year, Gill finally has a series win as ODI captain to his name. Throughout the series, India's new generation of pacers—Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna—delivered fine performances, while the skipper also got some much-needed runs under his belt. Gill was adjudged 'Player of the Series' for 238 runs in two innings, including a century and a fifty.
Rohit Sharma's Form Buys Time
Former Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, with a fluent 48 in the second ODI and a well-compiled 79 in the third, bought himself some more time as he remains under scrutiny from selectors for fitness and form leading up to the 2027 World Cup. His knocks showed that he is not to be written off easily.
Other Batting Highlights
Runs from KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were also high points for Team India, giving them plenty to think about in terms of batting options.
Gill Praises Pace Bowlers
Speaking after the match, Gill highlighted the starting spell of Gurnoor and Prasidh. "Gurnoor and Prasidh were outstanding. To see that kind of pace in those conditions was not easy, but they kept putting in effort and kept pushing. (Were you tempted to give them that one extra over?) I definitely was, but looking at the weather, I did ask them if they wanted to bowl that extra over, but they were pretty exhausted."
Boxes Ticked in Middle Overs
On the boxes Team India ticked during the series, Gill said, "A lot of the boxes are ticked. We spoke about keeping the intensity in the middle overs, and how we can keep creating opportunities as a bowling unit and pushing for extra runs as a batting unit in those overs. I think a lot of those boxes were ticked."
Looking Ahead to England Challenge
Looking forward to the England challenge, Gill said, "The conditions would be a little more similar to what we get in South Africa, not quite similar, but still close. So the kind of combination we would look to play there, hopefully with all players fit and ready, it is going to be another great series for us."
Afghanistan Captain Reflects on Loss
Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi lauded India's bowling in the powerplay and lamented his team's poor finishing with the bat. "I think today, in the first 10 overs, they bowled well, but we lost wickets that put us under pressure. After that, me and Azmat had a good partnership, but again we didn't finish well. After that partnership, we lost back-to-back wickets, which is why we fell short while scoring runs."
Shahidi's Maiden ODI Ton
On getting his maiden ODI century after 95 matches, Shahidi said, "I feel good, and Inshallah, I will try my best to do it again and again for my country. It was so hot, and I was feeling cramps, but I am feeling good now."
Afghanistan's Future Plans
Speaking on his team's plans going ahead, Shahidi said, "We have talented guys, but playing India in India is tough. We will learn from this. We were not good, but we will learn. Moving forward, we are a quality side, but we were away from ODI cricket because last year we played Bangladesh eight months ago. We play Ireland next, and in those three games, we will work on that. The coach is also new, and we will try to work together as a team."
Match Summary
After a century from skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (102 off 131 balls, with 13 fours and a six) and a fifty from Azmatullah Omarzai (50 off 56 balls, with five fours and two sixes) carried Afghanistan to 218, a pace onslaught from Prasidh Krishna (5/23) restricted them. In reply, Yashasvi Jaiswal (110* off 86 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes) and Rohit Sharma (79 off 69 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) ate into the majority of the target with a 170-run stand for the first wicket. Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer (20*) motored along to the target with over 21 overs left.
