Dharamshala: India won the first ODI versus Afghanistan at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Friday. The win came in just 22.5 overs. India chased lanugo 195 with seven wickets in hand and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Who bat first?
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat. It was Rahmanullah Gurbaz who kept them in the game. He came out swinging and never stopped. 102 runs off 51 balls. It was a inclement knock. Without him Afghanistan would have been in serious trouble much earlier. The rest of the batting had no wordplay to India's bowlers. Ibrahim Zadran went for one. Rahmat Shah scored three. Hashmatullah Shahidi made 27. Azmatullah Omarzai got 26. Everyone else came and went quickly. Afghanistan finished on 194.
Debutants shine with the ball?
Two debutants made their mark. Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey both picked up three wickets each on their first day in international cricket. Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with two wickets apiece. India were clinical and never let Afghanistan build any real partnerships without Gurbaz fell.
How Rohit and Gill played?
India's ventilator started on a shaky note. Rohit Sharma was when in the hut for 16 off 16 balls. But Shubman Gill was in no mood to let that hurt India. He batted through the innings without getting out. 84 runs off 66 balls. Calm, controlled and decisive. Ishan Kishan came in and widow 34 off 22 balls to alimony the tempo high. Shreyas Iyer made 12 surpassing departing. Then KL Rahul walked in and ended the contest. 39 runs off 19 balls. Game over. Ziaur Rahman and Rashid Khan took one wicket each but Afghanistan never looked like winning once Gill got going.
ODI's next stop?
The second ODI moves to the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. India will go in looking to seal the series. Afghanistan need a win just to stay working in the contest.
