The scenic HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala witnessed a thrilling, rain-truncated encounter as India secured a convincing 7-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first ODI of the series on June 13, 2026. Weather disruptions forced officials to reduce the match to an intense 25-overs-a-side contest, turning a traditional ODI into a high-octane shootout. Despite a historic batting display from the visitors, India’s clinical chase proved why they are nearly invincible on home turf, setting social media ablaze as fans celebrated a dominant start to the international summer.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s electrifying century pushes Afghanistan to a competitive score
Choosing to bat first after the rain delay, Afghanistan faced immediate trouble under the overcast Dharamsala skies. Indian pacers Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar tore through the top order, leaving the visitors reeling at a precarious 26 for 3 within the first five overs. Sediqullah Atal fell for a duck, while Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah were dismissed cheaply.
However, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz played an innings for the ages. Defying the pressure, the wicketkeeper-batsman single-handedly counter-attacked the Indian bowling lineup. Gurbaz reached his half-century in just 25 deliveries before accelerating to a spectacular century off a mere 48 balls. His explosive 102-run knock included 8 fours and 8 massive sixes, striking at an astonishing 200.00.
Gurbaz found solid support from skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who contributed a steady 27 runs off 30 balls to forge a vital 116-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Azmatullah Omarzai added a quickfire 26 off 16 balls, momentarily threatening to push the score past 200. However, Indian all-rounder Harsh Dubey triggered a lower-order collapse, taking 3 wickets for 47 runs in his 5 overs. Brar clean-up the tail to finish with impressive figures of 3 for 27, bowling out Afghanistan for 194 in 24.5 overs.
Shubman Gill plays a captain’s knock to take India past Afghanistan in first ODI
Chasing a demanding target of 195 runs from 25 overs, requiring an asking rate of 7.8 runs per over, India structure its response with sheer tactical perfection. While opening partner Rohit Sharma was unfortunately run out by a sharp piece of fielding from Rashid Khan and Gurbaz for 16, Shubman Gill anchored the innings with absolute authority.
Gill, leading by example, paced his innings beautifully. He reached his fifty off 37 balls and continued to dismantle the Afghan bowling attack. He paired up with Ishan Kishan, who smashed a brisk 34 off 22 balls, to keep India well ahead of the required run rate. Although Rashid broke the 70-run partnership by bowling Kishan, and Ziaur Rahman dismissed Shreyas Iyer for 12, Gill remained completely unphased.
Joined by KL Rahul, Gill took the team home comfortably. Rahul played a devastating cameo, bludgeoning 39 runs off just 19 balls at a strike rate of 205.26. Gill remained unbeaten on 84 from 66 balls, a masterful knock studded with 11 boundaries and a solitary six. India comfortably tracked down the target, reaching 195 for 3 in 22.5 overs with 13 balls to spare. Gill was deservedly named Player of the Match for his commanding match-winning performance.
Also READ: IND vs AFG: Morne Morkel reveals India’s long-term plans ahead of Afghanistan ODIs
Here’s how fans reacted:
Team India dominates the 1st ODI against Afghanistan, chasing down the target with absolute authority and sealing a clinical 7-wicket win! 🏆
The star of the show? None other than the Prince himself, Shubman Gill! 👑 positional masterclass, effortless timing, and a match-winning… pic.twitter.com/ydiL8R0hmD
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) June 14, 2026
TEAM INDIA START THE WORLD CUP PREPARATIONS UNDER SHUBMAN GILL IS IN RIGHT WAY. 🇮🇳
– Captain Shubman Gill led from the front for India..!!!! 🔥
pic.twitter.com/dMfwjPVprG— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) June 13, 2026
Leading from the front in some style 🫡#TeamIndia Captain Shubman Gill is the Player of the Match for his glorious knock in the chase 👌🔝
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/lCuohEZYAl #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/UdZNbAApEk
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 13, 2026
CAPTAIN SHUBMAN GILL SMASHED AN UNBEATEN 84* (66) IN THE 1ST ODI. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/WLQZmmiRJA
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 13, 2026
Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli is lucky that Shubman Gill isn’t getting to play as many ODIs in this era.
If ODI cricket were played as frequently as it was before Gill might have had a real chance of challenging some of their records. pic.twitter.com/qxS2irmc2r
— MARCUS (@MARCUS907935) June 14, 2026
FASTEST TO COMPLETE FOR INDIA IN ODI HISTORY:
Fastest 1000 Runs – Shubman Gill.
Fastest 2000 Runs – Shubman Gill.
Fastest 3000 Runs – Shubman GillSHUBMAN GILL IS ABSOLUTELY RULING ODIs. 👑 pic.twitter.com/I6F2pl4pHr
— Tejas Agarwal (@tejasagarwal197) June 14, 2026
Shubman Gill ruling ODI cricket. pic.twitter.com/mhlKu68Smw
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 13, 2026
Shubman Gill becomes the fastest Indian and 2nd fastest player overall to complete 3000 ODI runs. pic.twitter.com/OHl0BDe8aQ
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) June 13, 2026
Shubman Gill has 6875 International Runs at the age of 26 🤯
We are living in Captain Shubman Gill Era. #ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/PpM3gr9B58
— Nitika Sharma (@Nitika3012) June 14, 2026
🚨 Shubman Gill’s ODI average has increased to 57.30 and strike rate has increased to 99.64. ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/zW2brZLBDY
— Ahmed Says (@AhmedGT_) June 13, 2026
CAPTAIN SHUBMAN GILL – THE BEST YOUNG TALENT IN WORLD CRICKET 🇮🇳 #ShubmanGill #INDvsAFG pic.twitter.com/YQJv8rid7i
— Somesh Jangra (@CelebrityGalax) June 14, 2026
62 Innings
3037 Runs
57.30 Average
18 Fifties
8 Centuries
208 BestShubman Gill is right now the best young talent in the world in all formats pic.twitter.com/njFuxFEzDI
— Raja (@_raja_kumar) June 14, 2026
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