Prince Yadav made his India debut in the second ODI against Afghanistan in Lucknow, while Nitish Kumar Reddy missed out with a thigh injury. Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl, sending India in to bat first.
India vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI: Prince Yadav makes debut as India put to bat first; Nitish Reddy misses out (PC: BCCI/X)
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, while the hosts handed a maiden international cap to fast bowler Prince Yadav.
Prince became the third India debutant of the series after Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar, who made their international bows in the opening ODI in Dharamsala. India also brought back Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kuldeep Yadav as they look to seal the series after taking a 1-0 lead.
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Ahead of the match, the BCCI confirmed that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was unavailable for selection because of a sore left thigh.
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“Nitish Kumar Reddy was unavailable for selection for the second ODI due to a sore left thigh. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress,” the board said in a statement.
The 23-year-old had played a key role in India’s seven-wicket win in the series opener, returning figures of 2-31 and dismissing Afghanistan’s centurion Rahmanullah Gurbaz and experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi.
After winning the toss, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said the surface looked likely to assist spin early on.
“The wicket looks fresh. I think it’ll be spinning in the first innings. In the last game, we played really well but missed partnerships. Hopefully we come back stronger. We have three changes,” Shahidi said.
India captain Shubman Gill admitted he would have preferred to bowl first but was eager to test his side under different conditions.
“We’d have bowled as well, but we’re happy to bat first. It’s about handling difficult situations and being clinical with both bat and ball. Prince makes his debut, and we’ve brought in Kuldeep and Jaiswal,” Gill said.
India entered the contest with confidence after a commanding victory in the rain-curtailed first ODI in Dharamsala. Although Afghanistan posted 194 largely thanks to Gurbaz’s blistering 48-ball century, their middle order failed to capitalise on the strong platform.
India’s young bowling attack impressed in that game, with debutant Gurnoor Brar making an immediate impact, while Harsh Dubey and Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed at crucial moments. The chase was then anchored by Gill as India completed a comfortable seven-wicket win.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Darwish Rasooli, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Bilal Sami.
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