On the back of their massive victory by an innings and 300 runs in the sole Test, India welcome Afghanistan at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday, June 13, for an ODI. This will be the first of a three-match series, in which the other games will be played in Lucknow and Chennai. India's top order consists of the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, with Yashasvi Jaiswal expected to bat at number three. Jaiswal came into the squad as a replacement for the injured Virat Kohli. Even Shreyas Iyer, who was recently appointed as India's T20I captain, will play a major role in this batting order.
However, India are expected to struggle with the ball in hand. They have named two potential debutants in their squad - Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar. Both these players are extremely inexperienced in domestic cricket, with Brar having picked up just 12 wickets in the nine List A games he has played so far. Yadav, meanwhile, scalped 16 wickets in 14 IPL matches this season and was directly rewarded with a place in the India setup. It remains to be seen how these inexperienced bowlers perform. India have just Kuldeep Yadav, who is an experienced customer, in their bowling unit.
Still, it is highly unlikely that either Prince Yadav or Brar will make it to the playing XI in the first ODI. Afghanistan will look to capitalise on the errors made by the Indians, and a lot will rest on how good a start their top-order batters give them. Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmatullah Gurbaz are expected to open the innings for the visitors, with the experienced Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi following soon afterwards. With the ball in hand, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, and AM Ghazanfar will be the main players for Afghanistan. If they manage to break into the Indian batting unit early, they will be in for a good time.
Predicted Teams
IND: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh.
AFG: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad.
Key Players
Washington Sundar (IND): In a team filled with a burgeoning list of batters, Washington Sundar provides the right balance. The all-rounder will walk out to bat in the lower middle order and then operate with the ball in the middle overs. While his off-breaks have made him most famous, Sundar is also a technically sound batter. The southpaw has rescued India on many occasions in the past. In Dharamsala, he will be expected to finish India's innings with his range-hitting.
Mohammad Nabi (AFG): The experienced Mohammad Nabi will be handed most of the responsibility to deliver for Afghanistan. While he is a sound batter - and fancies himself especially against spin - he will be tasked with delivering the new ball too. Nabi is a more than handy off-spinner, who can get the ball to turn back into right-handers on even the flattest of surfaces. What makes Nabi different is that he can vary his pace exceedingly well and lure batters into playing false strokes.
Match Prediction
India have the upper hand, and are expected to win. While Afghanistan have a lot of top-quality white-ball cricketers in their ranks, India's quality is unsurpassed. The only chink in India's armour is their bowling unit, with the untested Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh expected to deliver the new ball. Afghanistan can look into making the most of the first powerplay. But India's spinners, led by Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, can make life difficult later on. India are sure to choke their opponents in the middle overs.