IND vs AFG 2026, IND vs AFG 1st ODI Match Preview

Big picture: Which team will shake off the rust better?

Having lost three of their last five ODIs, including a series defeat at home to New Zealand in their most recent assignment in the format, India will want to build up form and momentum heading into the 2027 ODI World Cup. They are without several regulars – who have either been rested or are missing through injury – but the series gives them a chance to test their depth.

While their batting is close to full strength even in Virat Kohli’s absence, India will play the series with a new-look bowling attack. Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh have just 38 ODI caps between them, while Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar are uncapped. With the next World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, India will want to boost their fast-bowling stocks.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, have won their last four ODIs, and will enter the series confident of pulling off an upset against a team they have never beaten in the format. If they need inspiration, they may not need to look further than their A-team’s win over India in the tri-series in Sri Lanka two days before the first ODI.

Afghanistan had a strong showing in the 2023 World Cup in India, coming close to make it to the semi-finals. They will want to rely on that experience, with the core of the team still the same, as they play a first bilateral series in the country. They will also be bolstered by Rashid Khan’s presence, with their star spinner missing the Test match against India.

Of course, there is the small matter of rustiness in the format. India’s last ODI came in January, while Afghanistan haven’t played one since October 2025, so players may take some time to find their 50-overs rhythm.

Form guide

India: LLWWL (Last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Afghanistan: WWWWL

In the spotlight

A quality fast-bowling allrounder in India is a precious – and rare – commodity, which is why the team is left scrambling for balance when Hardik Pandya is injured. But in Nitish Kumar Reddy, they have an able replacement who is on an upward curve. In IPL 2026, Reddy cranked up his pace and was in great batting form. He also hit a half-century in his last ODI appearance. With India also playing ODIs in England in July after this series, this is a perfect opportunity for Reddy to boost his credentials and give the management the assurance that they have a ready replacement for whenever Hardik – who has a troubling injury record – is not available.

ODIs in India will bring back fond memories for another fast-bowling allrounder, Azmatullah Omarzai, who had a breakout campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He had scored 353 runs in nine innings at an average of 70.60 in that competition while also taking seven wickets. Since then, he’s gone on to be a critical part of Afghanistan’s ODI setup, and has been in fine form coming into this series. He has 24 wickets in his last 10 ODIs, not going wicketless in any of those games. He’s also notched two half-centuries and two scores in the forties in that stretch. He will be especially key with the new ball against India’s potent top order.

Team news: Kishan to play the Kohli role

With Kohli ruled out with a hamstring injury, Ishan Kishan is most likely to step into the No. 3 role after a prolific run in domestic cricket, the IPL and for India in the T20 World Cup in 2026. Rohit Sharma is fit and set to open alongside the skipper Shubman Gill, while Reddy will slot in for the injured Hardik. Meanwhile, one of Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar is set to make their ODI debuts.

India XI (probable): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul, 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Prince Yadav/Gurnoor Brar

Fast bowler Mohammad Saleem was drafted into the ODI squad after an impressive showing in the only Test between the two teams in New Chandigarh. He could slot in for Bilal Sami if Afghanistan opt for the sole specialist fast bowler in addition to Omarzai, or replace one of the spinners, depending on the conditions. Senior allrounder Mohammad Nabi is unwell, so he remains a doubt.

Afghanistan XI (probable): 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Rahmat Shah 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mohammad Saleem, 10 AM Ghazanfar, 11 Ziaur Rahman

Stats and trivia

This will be the first bilateral ODI series between India and Afghanistan. The two teams have only met in World Cups and Asia Cups in the format. India have won three of their four ODI encounters, with the other ending in a tie.
Rashid Khan has five wickets in three ODIs against India. He’ll be playing this series after an impressive IPL campaign and will be key for Afghanistan.
Shreyas Iyer is 23 runs away from 3000 ODI runs, while Shubman Gill needs 47 runs to reach that landmark

Pitch and conditions

This will be the first bilateral ODI in Dharamsala since 2017. We can expect some swing with the new ball, but it’s generally a venue good for batting. Teams chasing have won five ODIs here, while teams batting first have won four. The last ODI here, in the 2023 World Cup, saw Australia pile on 388, with New Zealand falling short by just five runs.

Quotes

“In terms of that No. 3 slot, it’s something that in this we’ll play around with, whether it’s Ishan (Kishan) or KL (Rahul) or Yashasvi (Jaiswal). It’s a nice opportunity now, we’ve got a couple of one-day games coming up and we’ll give guys opportunities indifferent slots just to give ourselves a better idea in terms of how we can go and structure teams and have different options.”
India fast bowling coach Morne Morkel on the team experimenting with batting roles.

Abhimanyu Bose is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo

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