India Look To Wrap Up ODI Series Against Afghanistan in Lucknow

by Devesh Jaganath

image India Look To Wrap Up ODI Series Against Afghanistan in Lucknow
The three-match ODI series between India and Afghanistan moves to the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow for match two today. The Men in Blue lead the series 1-0 after picking up a victory in Dharamsala last week, and another win in Lucknow this afternoon will secure the series with a game to spare.

India Secure 1-0 Lead in Rain-Affected Dharamsala ODI

Following their emphatic victory in the one-off Test, India kicked off their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in a rain-affected opening match at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala that confirmed our cricket predictions. 

Batting first, Afghanistan lost three wickets inside the first five overs, with debutant Gurnoor Brar claiming the scalp of Ibrahim Zadran before Arshdeep Singh knocked over Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat Shah in consecutive overs to leave the visitors on 26/3. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was by far the standout performer for the Afghan Atalans, as the opener scored 102 runs off just 51 deliveries, including eight 4s and eight 6s. Unfortunately, he did not receive any real support, with only Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai surpassing 20 runs for the team. 

Despite the match being halted for an extended period and eventually reduced to 25 overs due to rain, Afghanistan were able to post a defendable target of 194 runs before being bowled out on the penultimate delivery of their innings. 

In response, India got off to a brisk start with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scoring 46 runs in 5.4 overs before the former was run out by Rashid Khan. Gill played the key innings for the Men in Blue, smashing 84 runs in 66 deliveries, including 11 fours and 2 sixes.

Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul then notched up a brisk 34 (22) and 39 (19) batting at numbers three and five, respectively. In the end, India got to the target with seven wickets in hand and 13 balls to spare to secure a 1-0 lead in the series. 

Key Players To Watch in Second ODI Today

In search of his first ODI series victory since being handed captaincy, Shubman Gill continued his solid form in Dharamsala, scoring what turned out to be a match-winning 84 runs at the top of the innings, and he will be determined to follow up on that knock today. 

India’s young pace sensation Gurnoor Brar made an immediate impact on debut, claiming the wickets of Ibrahim Zadran in the very first over of the match before adding to his tally with the scalps of Rashid Khan and Ziaur Rahman at the death of the innings. 

Brar’s fellow debutant Harsh Dubey also had an impressive first outing for the national team, racking up three wickets. Rohit Sharma had a disappointing return to the international scene and will be looking for better, with his spot in the team leading up to the 2027 ODI World Cup still uncertain.