Pacer Gurnoor Brar shone on his international debut before captain Shubman Gill produced a majestic innings to guide India to a seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in a rain-curtailed series opener here on Saturday.
The match signalled the beginning of India’s build-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup, and despite persistent rain causing delays of four and 15 minutes and reducing the contest to 25 overs a side, the hosts managed to tick most of their boxes.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz struck a high-quality 102 off just 51 balls, while debutants Brar and Harsh Dubey claimed three wickets apiece as India bowled Afghanistan out for 194 after choosing to field.
Gill, unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls, carried his rich vein of form across formats to steer India to the
target in 22.5 overs. KL Rahul (39 not out off 19) provided valuable support, his brisk cameo featuring a stylish six over extra cover off Zia Ur Rahman.
Gill’s opening partner Rohit Sharma (16 off 16) was run out in the sixth over of the chase after Gill declined a risky single. With his form and fitness under scrutiny, Rohit was not at his fluent best, though he did unfurl a crisp drive on the rise and a six off his trademark pull shot.
Ishan Kishan (34 off 22) impressed on his ODI return at number three before falling to a Rashid Khan googly.
Gill collected most of his elegant boundaries against the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi and AM Ghazanfar, having started with a silken cover drive off pacer Zia Ur Rahman. He also went after his Gujarat Titans teammate Rashid, with a six over mid-wicket standing out.
Once the rain stopped, play resumed quickly, aided by the newly installed subair drainage system.
Gurbaz, a proven T20 performer, walked out with clear intent in the shortened game, something he credited to advice from opposition coach Gautam Gambhir after the one-off Test in Mullanpur. Notably, Gurbaz was a key member of the KKR side that won the IPL in 2024.
Though the ball moved a bit in the air early on, Gurbaz attacked from the outset, cutting Arshdeep for four before advancing down the track to hit the left-arm seamer straight for six.
The 6 feet 5 inch tall Brar (3/27 in 4.5 overs), who had long served as a net bowler with the Indian team before receiving his ODI cap from Gill on Saturday, consistently touched speeds above 145 kmph in his first over and got the ball to move away.
His first couple of deliveries swung away from a full length before he shortened his length to force an error from opener Ibrahim Zadran, who miscued an attempted loft and was caught at mid-off, giving the Punjab pacer instant success at international level.
Afghanistan slipped to 16 for 2 when Arshdeep trapped Sediqullah Atal lbw with a ball that did not do a great deal. It became 26 for 3 when Rahmat Shah miscued a pull off Arshdeep and was taken by another debutant, Harsh Dubey, running back from mid-wicket.
Gurbaz would have been given lbw on 14, but Arshdeep and India opted against a review.
That slice of fortune was enough for Gurbaz to craft a memorable innings. His ninth ODI century contained eight fours and eight sixes.
He put the bowlers, including debutant left-arm spinner Dubey (3/47 in 5 overs), under pressure with his attacking strokes. Dubey’s first two overs cost 26 runs, with Gurbaz dispatching two short balls for six over mid-wicket.
Gurbaz also pulled a short ball from Brar for six and treated Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar with disdain, though Nitish Kumar Reddy (2/31) bowled steadily and picked up two wickets.
Gurbaz’s dismissal in the 16th over slowed the scoring rate, and Afghanistan could not fully capitalise on the strong platform he had provided.
Dubey made an impact in his second spell, removing Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (27 off 30), the dangerous all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai (26 off 16) and AM Ghazanfar.
(With PTI Inputs)
