After a totally one-sided one-off Test match, the focus shifts to the white-ball leg of the series and the ODI series in particular as India is set to host Afghanistan in a 3-match ODI series starting today. These matches are critical for both teams especially for India as the focus now will be on the ODI World Cup in 2027 which is now set to be played from October-November 2027. The Men in Blue would like to prepare and fine tune their skills as so far till the T20 World Cup was happening, the focus was on that prize.
India will be led by the Prince of Indian cricket Shubman Gill and he has Shreyas Iyer as deputy. There is no Virat Kohli due to injury, but there is Rohit Sharma playing. Hardik Pandya is also sitting out injured while Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are rested. For Afghanistan led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, they welcome back Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran. ODIs is something they enjoy and will put India under some pressure. The stage is set for an interesting clash and series.
Overview
The stage is set for the 3-match ODI series to commence as India lock horns with Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Whenever India plays ODIs nowadays, there is a lot of talk on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. RO-KO as they are fondly called is always the topic of discussion. But on this occasion, there is no Virat Kohli as he misses out due to hamstring injury sustained in the IPL final. Rohit is playing.
In addition to Kohli, India will miss the services of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj. Pandya struggled in the IPL before suffering a leg strain while training at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Bumrah also had tough times in the IPL and has been rested, along with Jadeja and Siraj. Harshit Rana, who missed the IPL recently due to a knee injury, hasn’t been named in the squad.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been named as Kohli’s replacement, while the team management is yet to name Hardik’s replacement. The Shubman Gill-led side is fresh off an innings and 300-run win over Afghanistan in a one-off Test in New Chandigarh a few days ago. India will bank on the experience of Rohit, skipper Gill, vice-captain Shreyas Iyer and wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul in the batting department, while the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna will lead the bowling set-up. Arshdeep didn’t have the best of the IPL’s, but his left-arm seam will be the key for the hosts. Washington Sundar continues to remain as a vital all-rounder in the squad.
In the absence of several mainstays, the likes of dynamic southpaw Ishan Kishan & all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy will look to cement their places. This is a perfect opportunity for the two in-form players to execute their skills and step up in the absence of the big guns. Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey, Delhi seamer Prince Yadav, who had an impressive IPL season with Lucknow Super Giants, and Punjab’s speedster Gurnoor Brar have received their maiden call-up in the 50-over format for India.
On the other hand, the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led unit will be more confident with the white-ball set-up than its red-ball cricket. Spin wizard Rashid Khan and star opener Ibrahim Zadran, who were rested from the one-off Test, are back in the side for the ODIs. Rashid kept himself away from the Test to manage his workload, while Zadran was recovering from a leg injury.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli will have a key role to play to play with the bat alongside skipper Shahidi and Zadran. All-rounders Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi have been the pillars of this outfit for many years. Nabi was reportedly unwell ahead of the first ODI, and his availability remains doubtful, while Rasooli is also unavailable for the series opener due to personal reasons. Ikram Alikhil will be the back-up gloveman.
Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman aren’t part of this tour. AM Ghazanfar, who had a good IPL season with Mumbai Indians, is hopeful of supporting Rashid in the spin department. Left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote is also in the squad, but he had difficult times in the red-ball game. Afghanistan made a late addition to their squad by drafting the right arm fast-bowler Mohammad Saleem Safi, who picked up a six-fer in the one-off Test recently to their pace-bowling unit that has the likes of Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Malik, and Bilal Sami.
India will look to test their bench strength and build their stocks with the 2027 ODI World Cup in sight, while Afghanistan will aim to to stun the hosts in their own backyard. The stage is set and it remains to be seen whether the tourists can climb to new heights in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Head-To-HeadÂ
India and Afghanistan have met in 4 ODIS so far. India have won 3 matches while one match ended in a Tie. Afghanistan are yet to beat India in an ODI match. The two teams last met in the 2023 ODI World Cup in New Delhi where Afghanistan made 272/8 in 50 overs and India chased it down inside 35 overs with 8 wickets in hand with Rohit Sharma scoring a ton and Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten half-century in New Delhi.
Pitch & Weather ReportÂ
The pitch in Dharamsala is well-rounded and traditionally a pace-friendly surface. The new ball will move sharply, bringing the pacers into play during the first Power play. However, once the ball loses its shine, the flat track allows batters to pile on big runs quickly. With the overhead conditions and a damp outfield slowing the ball, captains winning the toss will almost certainly elect to bowl first.
The conditions in Dharamsala will be overcast with high chances of passing showers during the afternoon. The temperature will be cool and breezy hovering between 19 degrees Celsius and 23 degrees Celsius. While afternoon interruptions are highly likely, the forecast completely clears up by 7:00 PM, increasing the odds of seeing a shortened match.
Predicted/Probable Playing XIS for both sides
Here, we will try and predict the probable playing XIs of both sides.
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi/ Fareed Malik, Mohammad Saleem Safi.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Rohit Sharma: Rohit Sharma, in the absence of Virat Kohli will be expected to deliver a solid performance with the bat in hand. Batting at the top of the order, Rohit will be expected to give the team a solid start and play long as well if possible. He will be expected to lay the solid foundation for the others to come and capitalise later on. Rohit can make things easier if he can play out the new ball threat of the Afghan bowlers.
Arshdeep Singh: Arshdeep Singh will like playing in Dharamsala as he has played a lot of games here for the Punjab Kings. He would love the conditions on offer and if there is seam and swing on offer, Arshdeep can be a handful if he gets it right. Being the spearhead in the pace department with the big guns resting, Arshdeep will be expected to take early wickets and put the Afghan batting under some pressure.
Ibrahim Zadran: Back into the side after an injury lay-off, Ibrahim Zadran is a key player for Afghanistan and ODIs is something that suits him a lot. Ibrahim is the solid player Afghanistan needs and can anchor the innings through. He can be the glue from where others can play around him, Ibrahim has the appetite of scoring big runs and today will be no different up in the hills. If he does well, Afghanistan will challenge India in all aspects.
Rashid Khan: He is the X-factor in this Afghanistan line-up. Rashid Khan is a crucial cog in the wheel for Afghanistan in white-ball cricket. His 10 overs are always crucial and it was seen in the IPL that he has got his mojo back. He is back to his best. For him, the pitch does not matter. He can do magic on any pitch. Even if Dharamsala does not suit the spinners, Rashid can still be a handful for the Indians. We have to see how he performs today.
Key Stats and Records to look forward to ahead of this clash
- This will be the first bilateral ODI series between India and Afghanistan. The two teams have only met in World Cups and Asia Cups in this format. India have won three of their four ODI encounters, with the other one ending in a tie.
- Rashid Khan has five wickets in three ODIs against India. He will be playing his first series after an impressive IPL campaign and will be the key for Afghanistan.
- Shreyas Iyer is 23 runs away from 3000 ODI runs, while Shubman Gill needs 47 runs to reach that landmark.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
For starters, let’s hope that the weather stays clear and we get a match in properly. Assuming the game that goes ahead, it is still difficult to predict the winner of the match as anything can happen in ODIs and white-ball game. But looking at stats, history and pedigree of the team, we will India starts as favourites for this match and the series as a whole. But taking Afghanistan likely is dangerous as they have the skillsets to upset any team on their day. But India should beat them in the end.
Let’s wait and see how this series unfolds starting in Dharamsala weather permitting as this is a 3-match series.
Also Read:Â IND vs AFG: Virat Kohli Ruled Out Of ODI Series With Hamstring Injury