Captain Shubman Gill produced a commanding unbeaten 84 to guide India to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the rain-affected opening ODI of the three-match series at the HPCA Stadium on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the match reduced to 25 overs per side due to rain interruptions, India chased down a target of 195 in just 22.5 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Gill remained unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls, striking 11 fours and two sixes in a masterclass of controlled aggression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier, India’s debutants made an immediate impact with the ball. Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey claimed three wickets each as Afghanistan were bowled out for 194 in 24.5 overs. The visitors were largely dependent on opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smashed a brilliant 102, while skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi contributed 27 runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India’s chase got off to a brisk start despite an early scare when Rohit Sharma was struck on the wrist by a delivery from Azmatullah Omarzai. The Indian captain recovered quickly and reached the milestone of 16,000 international runs before being run out for 16 following a mix-up after sharing a 46-run opening stand with Gill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gill then took complete control of the innings, finding boundaries with ease and keeping the required rate well within reach. He received excellent support from Ishan Kishan, who marked his return to ODI cricket with a quickfire 34 off 22 balls, including three fours and a six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kishan’s aggressive knock ended when he was bowled by Rashid Khan’s trademark googly in the 13th over. Shreyas Iyer added 12 before falling to Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, but India remained firmly in command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gill brought up his half-century in just 37 balls and also crossed the landmark of 3,000 ODI runs during his innings. The skipper continued to dominate the Afghan bowlers with elegant drives and powerful strokes on both sides of the wicket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KL Rahul provided the finishing touch with an explosive unbeaten 39 off just 19 deliveries. His innings featured four boundaries and three sixes as he accelerated the chase and ensured there were no late hiccups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Afghanistan’s bowlers struggled throughout the contest. Rashid Khan claimed one wicket but proved expensive, while the pace attack failed to contain India’s aggressive batting lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The victory extended India’s unbeaten ODI record against Afghanistan and put the hosts in a strong position heading into the remaining matches of the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brief Scores:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Afghanistan:<\/strong> 194 all out in 24.5 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 102, Hashmatullah Shahidi 27; Gurnoor Brar 3\/27, Harsh Dubey 3\/47)<\/p>\n\n\n\n India:<\/strong> 195\/3 in 22.5 overs (Shubman Gill 84*; KL Rahul 39*; Ishan Kishan 34; Rashid Khan 1\/37)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Result:<\/strong> India won by seven wickets and lead the three-match series 1-0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Captain Shubman Gill produced a commanding unbeaten 84 to guide India to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the rain-affected opening ODI of the three-match series at the HPCA Stadium on Saturday. With the match reduced to 25 overs per side due to rain interruptions, India chased down a target of 195 in just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n