A stubborn Dharamsala drizzle held up the start by more than four hours on Saturday, trimming the series opener to 25 overs each and giving both dressing-rooms an early test of flexibility. When the clouds finally lifted, Shubman Gill won the toss and, mindful of the sodden outfield, opted to chase. “It’s a little overcast and there could be rain around, so always better to chase. It could be a good wicket to bat,” he explained, no hint of fuss.
Gill’s decision also meant immediate work for two new faces. Left-arm quick Gurnoor Brar and spin-bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey collected their ODI caps, rewards for consistent domestic form and, in Dubey’s case, a tidy IPL spell with Sunrisers. With Virat Kohli resting, KL Rahul was pencilled in at No. 3, leaving Gill and Rohit Sharma to pair up at the top. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan – the latter taking the gloves – completed the established core, while Washington Sundar and teenager Nitish Kumar Reddy offered depth on a surface that normally turns late in the day. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav and the uncapped Prince waited in the pavilion.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, mirrored India’s boldness by handing a debut to seamer Ziaur Rahman. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted he, too, would have preferred to bowl first, a nod to conditions that can turn a modest total into a handful on this ground. The visitors balanced three seamers with the familiar spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and 17-year-old mystery tweaker AM Ghazanfar.
Neither side had played an ODI for months – India since January, Afghanistan since last October – so rhythms may take time to return. Yet the shortened format leaves little room for easing in; early wickets or an explosive Powerplay could swing the match within minutes.
Playing XIs
India: Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Kishan (wk), Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dubey, Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Shahidi (capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem, Ghazanfar, Ziaur Rahman
The forecast remains iffy, so umbrellas stay close. But for Dubey and Brar, the afternoon already marks a clear break in the clouds.
