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India
Afghanistan
India and Afghanistan will face each other in the 1st ODI of the Afghanistan tour of India at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. India will enter the match with confidence after a dominant innings victory in the only Test of the tour, where their batting unit controlled the game from start to finish.
Shubman Gill will captain India, while Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan. India has won 2 of their last 5 ODIs, whereas Afghanistan have registered 4 victories in the same period and will carry good momentum into this contest.
The head-to-head record favours India, with 3 wins from the last 4 ODI meetings, while one match ended in a tie.
Notably, 2 of those 3 Indian victories came while chasing, highlighting their strength in run chases against Afghanistan.
Azmatullah Omarzai has taken 24 wickets in his last 10 ODIs, and his ability to strike regularly with the new ball and in the middle overs makes him a strong contender to pick up multiple wickets.
The betting tip is...
Azmatullah Omarzai - Over 1.5 wickets
64 %
36 %
IndiaAfghanistanShubman Gill will lead India, while Shreyas Iyer will serve as the vice-captain for the series. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are rested, while Virat Kohli will miss the series due to injury and is replaced by Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya return to the ODI setup. Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul are the wicketkeeping options available in the squad.
The pace attack consists of Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, giving India multiple fast-bowling choices. Kuldeep Yadav, Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar form the spin department. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar provided all-around balance with contributions in both batting and bowling. The squad combined experienced players with young talent across all departments.
Gill, Iyer and Arshdeep are the key players in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Shubman Gil (c), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan, with experienced players like Rahmat Shah. Rashid and Nabi. Darwish Rasooli also returns and strengthened the top order alongside Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran. Mohammad Nabi will provide valuable experience with both bat and ball and will remain a key all-round option.
Azmatullah Omarzai added balance to the side and entered the match after taking 24 wickets in his last 10 ODIs. AM Ghazanfar further strengthened the bowling attack with his spin. Rashid Khan remains Afghanistan's leading wicket-taking threat and has claimed 16 wickets in his last 7 ODIs. The squad featured a balanced combination of experienced players and emerging talent across the batting, bowling and all-round departments.
Zadran, Gurbaz and Omarzai are the key players in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Sediqullah Atal/Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami and Ziaur Rahman.
India will start as favourites and should have enough quality to secure a win at Dharamsala. Afghanistan will put up a stronger fight than they did in the Test and are expected to produce better batting performances, with at least one batter playing a significant innings.
Their bowling attack also has the ability to create pressure, and Azmatullah Omarzai will be a key factor after his consistent wicket-taking form in recent ODIs.
India has more depth in both departments, but Afghanistan should remain competitive for large phases of the match and not go down without a fight. Arshdeep Singh is a key bowler for India and brings in national-level experience, yet Omarzai has the experience across formats to make a strong impact with the ball and trouble the Indian batting lineup.
