• By Sports Desk
  • Sat, 13 Jun 2026 07:56 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

India vs Afghanistan 1st ODI: India handed international debuts to Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar as they took on Afghanistan in the opening ODI of the three-match series in Dharamshala on Friday. Rain delayed the start of the contest, forcing it to be reduced to 25 overs per side. After winning the toss, India captain Shubman Gill chose to bowl first in the shortened encounter.

KL Rahul presented Dubey with his maiden India cap, while Gill handed the debut cap to Brar.

Who Are Harsh Dubey And Gurnoor Brar?

Harsh Dubey is a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder from Vidarbha who has impressed in domestic cricket with his ability to contribute in both departments. Known for his control with the ball and useful lower-order batting, Dubey has steadily risen through the ranks to earn his maiden India call-up.

Gurnoor Brar is a left-arm fast bowler from Punjab. The tall pacer has attracted attention with his pace, bounce and ability to pick up wickets in domestic competitions. His performances in List A cricket earned him a place in the national squad and an opportunity to make his international debut.

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Impressive List A Records

Harsh Dubey has enjoyed a solid List A career so far. The Vidarbha all-rounder has claimed 31 wickets in 30 innings at an average of 37.87 and an economy rate of 4.71. He has also contributed with the bat, scoring 296 runs, including two half-centuries. Meanwhile, Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar has picked up 12 wickets in nine List A matches. His best bowling figures in the format are 4/57.

What Gill Said At The Toss

Explaining his decision to bowl first, Gill said: “We’ll bowl first. There are a few clouds around and I think the bowlers could get some assistance. There is also a possibility of rain later, so we’d like to take advantage of the conditions. The pitch looks very good and should be a nice surface for batting. There may be a bit of seam movement early on.” Gill added that the series presents an opportunity for India to test different combinations ahead of the ODI World Cup.

“The aim is to try different combinations and understand what works best for us. We don’t play too many ODIs these days. Before the World Cup, we have only around 15 to 20 ODIs, so it’s important to assess our options and strengths. With this now being a 25-over game, it’s a completely different challenge. We have two debutants today, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prince Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav are not part of the playing XI.”

India Playing XI

Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.

Afghanistan Playing XI

Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, AM Ghazanfar, Zia-ur-Rehman Sharifi.

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