Indian captain Shubman Gill led from the front with the bat in hand as he remained unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls while others played around him. In a game that was reduced to 25 overs a side due to persistent rain through the morning and afternoon, it was Rahmanullah Gurbaz who weathered the Indian new ball storm and scored a breathtaking century while India did well to chip away at the wickets and keep them down to 194 in 24.5 overs.
In reply, captain Shubman Gill showed his class from the start to the finish. After running Rohit Sharma out for 16, Gill was the star of the show and played through to carry his bat with his unbeaten 84 off 66 balls, while Ishan Kishan scored 34 off 22 balls and Shreyas Iyer made 12 off 15 balls. KL Rahul came and scored a quickfire 39 off 19 balls to finish things off in style as India got over the line with 7 wickets in hand and 2.1 overs to spare.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s fiery 9th ODI ton powered Afghanistan to 194 in 24.5 overs
Put into bat first after a massive rain delay, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the keeper batter and Ibrahim Zadran came out to bat for Afghanistan while Arshdeep Singh started the proceedings for India. Gurbaz was off and running as he smashed Arshdeep for 11 runs in the opening over. The opening duo added 13 runs for the first wicket before Ibrahim fell for 1 off 4 balls to Gurnoor Brar, the debutant. Sediqullah Atal came out to bat next.
The duo could add only 3 runs to the score before Atal fell for a silver duck to Arshdeep Singh. Rahmat Shah came out to bat next. Gurbaz survived a close LBW call when the appeal was turned down, and the review was not taken against him by India. Replays showed three reds. He made the most of it today. Shah and Gurbaz added 10 runs to the tally before Rahmat fell for 3 off 8 balls to Arshdeep Singh.
Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi came out to bat next. At the end of the mandatory first power play of 5 overs, Afghanistan were 27/3. Gurbaz started to take charge in the middle overs while Shahidi played second fiddle at the other end. Gurbaz was like a rampaging river, unstoppable. Shahidi complemented him well and kept the tempo going for the Afghans as they dominated the middle phase of the innings.
Gurbaz completed his ton in just 48 balls, and he played a blistering knock. The duo of Shahidi and Gurbaz added 116 crucial runs for the 4th wicket before Gurbaz fell for 102 off 51 balls with 8 fours and 8 sixes to his name. Azmatullah Omarzai came out to bat next. Shahidi fell soon after, as just 2 runs were added to the score as the captain fell for 27 off 30 balls with 3 fours to his name to Harsh Dubey. Mohammad Nabi came out to bat next.
Omarzai and Nabi tried to forge a partnership with the former being the dominant partner. The duo added 28 runs for the 6th wicket before Nabi fell for 9 off 14 balls with one six to his name to Nitish Kumar Reddy. Rashid Khan came out to bat next. Just 10 runs were added to the score before Omarzai fell for a quickfire 26 off 16 balls with 3 fours to his name. AM Ghazanfar came out to bat next. He fell second ball, a silver duck to Harsh Dubey again.
Zia ur Rahman Sharifi came out to bat next. Rashid and his partner added 11 runs for the 9th wicket before Rashid fell for 9 off 13 balls with 2 fours to his name, clean bowled by Brar. Safi came out to bat next. Just one run was added for the last pair before Sharifi fell for 4 off 8 balls with one boundary to his name to Brar. Safi remained unbeaten on 1* off 1 ball as Afghanistan was bowled out for 194 in 24.5 overs with 12 extras given by the fielding side.
Gurnoor Brar was the pick of the bowlers for India with figures of 3/27 in 4 overs. Harsh Dubey finished with 3/47 in 5 overs. Arshdeep Singh finished with 2/27 in 5 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy finished with 2/31 in 4 overs. Prasidh Krisna finished with 0/35 in 5 overs. Washington Sundar bowled an over for 19 runs. This meant that India needed a stiff 195 runs to win in 25 overs.
Shubman Gill’s terrific knock powers India to a convincing win in the end
Chasing 195 for the win, Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill came out to open the batting for India while Azmatullah Omarzai had the ball in hand for Afghanistan. India were given free runs by New Zealand with the new ball, which allowed the visitors to get a head start on the innings. Rohit got hit on the wrists, but after treatment carried on batting and showed his class. India aced the power play. The 5 overs of power play helped India as the Men in Blue posted 40/0 in 5 overs. Rohit showed his class and was hitting the big hits as well.
The openers laid the foundation and put on 46 for the first wicket before Rohit fell for 16 off 16 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name via an unfortunate run out. Ishan Kishan walked out to bat at 3. Ishan was quickly off the blocks. The keeper batter came out all guns blazing and allowed Shubman Gill to play his natural game. The duo took the score to 84/1 in 10 overs.
The duo not only built a partnership but maintained a tempo, which meant India was never behind the rate. Gill was aggressive, but so was Ishan. The duo added 70 runs for the second wicket to put India in a commanding position as Ishan fell for 34 off 22 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name as he was cleaned up by Rashid Khan. Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer came out to bat next.
Gill was on the move and was determined out there to prove a point. He had to after running Rohit out early on. Iyer took his time settling in. The duo of the captain and vice-captain tried to build a good stand and added 26 runs at a run a ball before Iyer fell for 12 off 15 balls with one four to his name. KL Rahul came out to bat next. Rahul then broke free and played the perfect role of the finisher. Shubman Gill played through, but the aggression was led by Rahul.
Rahul played the perfect role of the finisher and finished things off in style. The duo made sure there were no hiccups after this point, and it was a smooth ride to the finish. Rahul was striking it big while Shubman Gill remained unbeaten till the end. The duo added an unbroken 53 runs off 32 balls for the 4th wicket to guide the side home.
Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls with 11 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Rahul remained unbeaten on 39 off 19 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes to his name. India finished with 195/3 in 22/5 overs, winning by 7 wickets. 10 extras given by the fielding side.
Afghanistan bowlers found it tough out there. Rashid Khan finished with 1/37 in 5 overs. Ziaur Rahman Sharifi finished with 1/39 in 4 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai finished with 0/41 in 3.5 overs. AM Ghazanfar finished with 0/28 in 5 overs. Safi finished with 0/23 in 3 overs. Mohammad Nabi finished with 0/26 in 2 overs. So, India won by 7 wickets to go 1-0 up in the 3-match ODI series. Shubman Gill was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead
India leads the series 1-0 and will want to seal the series in the next match itself. The next ODI takes place in Lucknow on Wednesday, 17th June, 2026. So, can India seal the series there, or will Afghanistan draw level? We shall find that answer out in a few days.
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