Dharamshala, June 13: India secured a convincing 7-wicket victory against Afghanistan in the first match of the ODI series held at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday. The Indian team gave debut opportunities to Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Barar, who collectively took 6 wickets, earning praise from captain Shubman Gill.
Barar claimed 3 wickets for 27 runs in 4.5 overs, while Dubey also took 3 wickets, conceding 47 runs in 5 overs. Gill commended their performance, stating, “They were quite impressive. First, Gurnoor bowled excellently with great pace and swing. His consistent length was commendable. Similarly, Harsh made a fantastic comeback. I think he conceded 16-17 runs in his first over, but the way he returned to the match, maintaining his confidence and bowling consistently, was very impressive.”
Due to rain, the match started at 5:45 PM with a reduction to 25 overs per side. Batting first, Afghanistan was bowled out for 194 runs in 24.5 overs. In response, India chased down the target in just 22.5 overs.
Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a remarkable century off 48 balls, hitting 8 sixes and as many fours to finish with 102 runs from 51 balls. Gill praised Gurbaz’s innings, saying, “It was like a T20 match. I think after our start, he began to take the game away from us. His century was outstanding, but I believe our comeback in the middle and death overs was also impressive. Honestly, it was a great wicket for batting. As the match progressed, spinners started to find some grip, but when they were bowling, the ball was coming off the bat very well.”
Regarding a catch taken in the slips, Gill remarked, “I definitely caught that catch. I’ve been practicing a lot and taking many catches in the slips. Even before the match, I was talking to a friend who mentioned that I hadn’t taken a spectacular one-handed catch in my international career yet. So, I’m very happy to have taken that catch.”
The Indian captain emphasized the importance of middle overs in ODI cricket, stating, “If our bowling unit can consistently apply pressure and create opportunities during the middle overs, while maintaining a healthy run rate of 6 to 6.5 runs per over without losing too many wickets, we can turn the match in our favor during the death overs. We discuss these key points in team meetings on how to create opportunities as a bowling group and how to maintain the run rate while batting.”
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