The first one-day international between India and Afghanistan finally got under way in Dharamsala after a stubborn drizzle pushed the toss back by more than four hours. With only 25 overs each, both sides shuffled plans; India, winning the toss, chose to chase and handed ODI caps to spin-bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey and left-arm quick Gurnoor Brar.
Shubman Gill stood in at the toss for Virat Kohli and explained the call to bowl first. “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 said. The logic was simple: cloud cover, a dampish surface and, crucially, the DLS sheet resting in the back pocket.
Team-mate roles had been pencilled in earlier. Gill and Rohit Sharma were listed to open, KL Rahul shifting to No. 3. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan – the latter wearing the keeping gloves – filled the middle. Washington Sundar and youngster Nitish Kumar Reddy offered extra spin and seam options, while the debutants slotted in at eight and nine ahead of the pace pair Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna. Yashasvi Jaiswal, wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and uncapped quick Prince made up the bench.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted he would also have bowled, though he said little else publicly. His XI carried a familiar three-spinner core of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and 15-year-old AM Ghazanfar, backed by three seamers. Right-arm pacer Ziaur Rahman received his first ODI cap.
Neither side has played an ODI for a while – India since January, Afghanistan since last October – so there was understandable rust. Even so, Dharamsala’s thin air and fast outfield promised value for shots once the covers finally disappeared. A 25-over game can feel like a sprint: powerplays are shorter, bowlers get only five overs each, and a mis-judged over can swing momentum sharply.
Whether India’s decision to chase proves decisive will depend on how quickly the debutants settle and how effectively Afghanistan’s spinners grip a ball that has soaked up plenty of moisture already.
