India won the toss and elected to field first against Afghanistan in the 1st ODI at Dharamshala after rain reduced the contest to 25 overs per side. Check the playing XIs and match details.
India vs Afghanistan 1st ODI: India win toss, opt to field as rain cuts match to 25 overs (PC: BCCI/X)
India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to field first against Afghanistan in the opening ODI at the HPCA Stadium after persistent rain forced the match to be reduced to 25 overs per side.
After nearly four hours of delay, improved weather and the efforts of the ground staff ensured play could finally begin, with the first ball scheduled for 5:45 PM IST.
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The series opener had been under threat after Dharamshala witnessed continuous showers over the past two days and again on match day. However, the venue’s drainage system and the work of the ground staff, aided by multiple super soppers, helped make the outfield playable once the rain stopped.
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With the contest shortened to 25 overs a side, each team is expected to use five bowlers, with a maximum of five overs per bowler, while the batting powerplay will be restricted to the first five overs.
🚨 Toss Update from Dharamshala 🚨#TeamIndia have won the toss and elected to bowl in the 1️⃣st ODI.
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/lCuohEZYAl #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/dFxWa3GRob
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 13, 2026
India are missing Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, who have been ruled out with hamstring and leg injuries, respectively. However, former captain Rohit Sharma has recovered after clearing his fitness test at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and is set to open alongside Gill.
Ahead of the match, bowling coach Morne Morkel had indicated that the team management is prepared to experiment with the No. 3 batting position in Kohli’s absence, with KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ishan Kishan among the contenders.
Moisture could aid seamers
The HPCA Stadium has traditionally offered assistance to fast bowlers, and with the surface remaining under covers for a prolonged period due to rain, moisture in the pitch could provide additional help for the seamers early on.
India also enjoys a dominant record against Afghanistan in ODIs, having won three of their four meetings, while the remaining contest in the 2018 Asia Cup ended in a memorable tie.
India:
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh.
Afghanistan:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem, AM Ghazanfar, Ziaur Rahman.
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