Gurnoor steams, Gill flows as India sweep Afghanistan in rain-hit Dharamsala ODI

There is some violence when Gurnoor Brar runs up to his bowling mark. The kind of violence that could make even the Dalai Lama, a resident of McLeodganj in Dharamsala, very angry. Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall, the right arm attacks hard and throws the ball with great effort. The impact was so intense that on June 13, the ball needed cosmetic repairs just a third of the way through the game.

The violence with which Brar bowls is the main reason why he was fast tracked by the Indian cricket team. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar swears by a promise that Gurnoor, a genetic freak in many ways, will keep. This was on full display on Saturday when India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.

The opening match of the three-match series was reduced to a 25-over match due to persistent rain. The match started four hours later than planned, with the draw taking place at 17:15 instead of 13:00.

The crowd, patiently waiting in the stands, were finally rewarded when the clouds cleared and the SubAir drainage system took over, clearing the water in no time.

With the pitch remaining under cover for nearly 12 hours, the team’s bowling was always expected to get going. Shubman Gill won the toss and released his Gujarat Titans teammate for the Afghan openers.

Gurnoor ran in hard and started with a quick full toss to Ibrahim Zadran. The right-hander was beaten for pace and couldn’t get to the ball. Despite the swing, Gurnoor quickly adjusted his length and started pounding the deck.

As a child, Gurnoor got into fast bowling through tennis ball cricket, partly as a way to stay safe from big hits. A tennis ball hit with pace gives hitters a chance on surfaces that offer little natural deviation. The fifth delivery of his international career on Saturday rose sharply to Zadran, who failed to manage the shot. The ball flew into the air and ended up in the safe hands of Shubman Gill, Gurnoor’s skipper of Gujarat Titans.

Many believe it was Gill who encouraged Gurnoor’s inclusion in the Indian side. It was also Gill who handed him his debut cap before the toss. And it was Gill who smiled as the pacer looked up to the sky and thanked God for a wicket earned after years of hard work.

ARSHDEEP, GURNOOR DOMINATE THE OPENING SPELL

The most impressive aspect of Gurnoor’s bowling was his pace, constantly hovering between 145 and 150 kmph. Gurnoor may not be among the absolute fastest in world cricket, but he recalled India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel, who has built a career on hitting the deck hard and getting bounces from longer lengths.

Alongside him, Arshdeep Singh swung the ball both ways in the opening spell and unsettled the Afghan batting line-up. The visitors slumped to 26/3 in the over as India took complete control in the opening overs.

RAHMANULLAH GURBAZ Stand up

When Rahmanullah Gurbaz decided enough was enough, things went slightly off script. With wickets falling around him, the Afghan opener decided to attack.

Anything full was released back over the bowler’s head. Anything short was cut off with contempt. A hallmark of Gurbaz’s innings was his shot selection right from the start of the over.

With Gurnoor bowling rackets and making life difficult for everyone else, Gurbaz focused on only one type of batting, short and on the pads. He stood up and threw the hook over the fence. It was this clarity that separated him from everyone else.

While the rest of the innings never really got going, Gurbaz single-handedly kept Afghanistan alive. He cut, pulled and aimed at the cow horn with authority and scored against every Indian bowler.

He raced to his hundred in just 48 balls, the fastest by an Afghan batsman and the second fastest ODI century against India. Gurbaz was the only batsman in the line-up who matched the pace required in a 25-over game.

He eventually required a flurry of yorkers from Nitish Kumar Reddy to dismiss him. Twice lucky already, once when India denied a successful LBW check, and once after escaping exhaustion, Gurbaz failed to hold onto Nitish’s delivery.

After his dismissal in the 16th over with Afghanistan on 142, the innings collapsed.

In a game where they probably should have reached 220 for 230, Afghanistan were bowled out for just 194. Much of the credit for this late collapse went to Gurnoor Brar, who came back to dismiss Rashid Khan and Ziaur Rahman in the final overs.

India’s other debutant Harsh Dubey was also key to finishing the innings as he finished with 3 wickets as he gave away 47 runs from his 5 overs. While his debut was not as impressive as Gurnoor’s, this series will provide Dubey, who is also considered a promising young talent in the Indian ecosystem.

SHUBMAN GETS ROHIT OUT

Chasing 195 in a shortened game was never expected to trouble India and Shubman Gill made sure it stayed that way. Gill continued his excellent form across formats and remained unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls to guide India home in just 22.5 overs.

Gill got off to a slow start but his innings became authoritative following the dismissal of former India captain Rohit Sharma in the sixth over of the chase. Rohit, struggling to build rhythm amid debate over his form and fitness, was 16 off 16 after Gill dismissed a dodgy single.

GILL COMPLETES DELIVERY AFTER GAINING FLUENCY

Gill was struggling for fluency at that point and the injection of Ishan Kishan at No.3 really eased the pressure on the Indian skipper. Ishan, back in the ODI side and batting at first drop, looked positive during his 34 off 22 balls before being undone by Rashid Khan’s googly.

As Ishan took on the Afghan bowlers, Gill smoothly took control of the chase and ended up unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls. The Indian skipper attacked Afghanistan’s celebrated trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi and AM Ghazanfar, collecting most of his boundaries against them. One of the standout moments came against his Gujarat Titans teammate Rashid, whom Gill urged on for a clean six over mid-wicket.

KL Rahul then finished it all off with typical composure. His unbeaten 39 off 19 balls ensured India wrapped up the chase comfortably, the highlight being a classy six over Zia Ur Rahman’s extra cover.

The teams will now travel to Lucknow for the second match of the series.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

13 Jun 2026 23:41 IST