Lucknow, June 16: Team India is set to face Afghanistan in the second match of the ODI series on Wednesday at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. The home team aims to clinch the series with a victory in this match.
India won the rain-affected first match by a significant margin of 7 wickets. In this 25-over match, the Afghan team was bowled out for just 194 runs in 24.5 overs. In response, the Indian team chased down the target in 22.5 overs.
Debutants Gurnoor Barar (3 wickets for 27 runs) and Harsh Dubey (3 wickets for 47 runs) delivered impressive bowling performances, showcasing the discipline of India’s young bowlers.
With the ODI World Cup scheduled for 2027, the Indian team may continue experimenting with different combinations in this match. Players like Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal still have opportunities to secure a spot in the playing eleven.
For Afghanistan, this match is a ‘do or die’ situation after losing the first match. Following a heavy reliance on Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the previous game, the visiting team needs to improve its batting. Their bowling hopes will once again rest on star spinner Rashid Khan and A.M. Gajanfar. The slow pitch in Lucknow could provide additional support for Afghanistan’s spin attack, setting the stage for an exciting contest.
Indian Team: Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Barar, Prince Yadav.
Afghan Team: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wicketkeeper), Ikram Alikhil (Wicketkeeper), Azmatullah Omarzai, Bilal Sami, Nangyalai Kharoti, Farid Ahmad Malik, A.M. Gajanfar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.
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