| Team |
Score |
Overs |
Result |
| Afghanistan |
194 all out |
24.5 |
Lost |
| India |
195/3 |
22.5 |
Won by 7 wickets |
Why Shubman Gill’s 84 Was So Important
It is easy to look at Rahul’s 205.26 strike rate and say, “Wow, that’s the headline.”
And yes, it was spectacular.
But Gill’s innings was the backbone of the chase.
He survived the early phase, kept the scoreboard moving and remained unbeaten. His 84 accounted for a huge part of India’s successful chase. BCCI also listed Gill as Player of the Match.
This is where India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Stats become more useful than simply looking at the final score.
A scorecard tells you what happened.
The stats often tell you why it happened.
Gill provided stability. Rahul provided the fireworks. Together, they made Afghanistan’s 194 look considerably smaller than it had appeared when Gurbaz was attacking the Indian bowlers.
India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Timeline
The India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Timeline for this ODI was short but packed.
| Moment |
What Happened |
| Toss |
India won the toss and chose to bowl |
| Early Afghanistan innings |
Afghanistan lost three wickets for 26 |
| Gurbaz’s counterattack |
Gurbaz scored 102 from 51 balls |
| Afghanistan collapse |
India removed Afghanistan for 194 in 24.5 overs |
| India chase |
Rohit fell for 16 |
| Middle overs |
Gill and Ishan Kishan rebuilt momentum |
| Late chase |
Rahul smashed 39* from 19 balls |
| Result |
India won by 7 wickets |
The match began as a difficult situation for Afghanistan after the early wickets, but Gurbaz’s counterattack completely changed the mood. Once he was dismissed, India regained control.
The India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Timeline therefore has one obvious theme: Afghanistan created pressure, but India handled it better.
India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Stats You Should Know
Here are the numbers that really deserve attention.
1. Gurbaz scored 102 from 51 balls.
That was the fastest and most explosive innings of the match.
2. Gill made 84 from 66 balls.*
His unbeaten knock anchored India’s chase.
3. Rahul scored at 205.26.
His 39 came from only 19 balls.
4. India scored 195/3 at 8.54 runs per over.
That was comfortably ahead of Afghanistan’s 7.81 run rate.
5. Afghanistan’s top score was almost half their total.
Gurbaz’s 102 made up more than half of Afghanistan’s 194.
These India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Stats show just how different the two innings were. Afghanistan depended heavily on one explosive individual performance. India spread the workload across Gill, Rahul and their supporting batters.
India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Matches: What Happened in the Rest of the ODI Series?
If you are looking at India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Matches, stopping at the first ODI would mean missing the bigger story.
India won the three-match ODI series 3-0.
The second ODI in Lucknow was even more one-sided. India scored 402 and Afghanistan made 232, giving India a 170-run victory.
The third ODI in Chennai ended with another Indian win. India chased Afghanistan’s 218 with 224/1 in 28.4 overs, winning by nine wickets.
2026 ODI Series Results
| ODI |
Venue |
Afghanistan |
India |
Result |
| 1st ODI |
Dharamsala |
194 |
195/3 |
India won by 7 wickets |
| 2nd ODI |
Lucknow |
232 |
402 |
India won by 170 runs |
| 3rd ODI |
Chennai |
218 |
224/1 |
India won by 9 wickets |
So the India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Matches in the 2026 ODI series ended with India completing a clean sweep.
India vs Afghanistan ODI 2026 Squad: Who Featured?
The first ODI playing groups included a mixture of experienced names and newer options.
India’s first ODI squad listed Shubman Gill as captain, alongside Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav and Prince Yadav were listed on the bench.
Afghanistan’s group included Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai among others.
Therefore, searches such as India vs Afghanistan Odi 2026 Squad and Odi Squad India vs Afghanistan 2026 should be understood in match-specific context. Squads and playing XIs can change between games.
India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team: What About the Test?
The ODI series was not the only major part of the tour.
There was also a one-off Test Match India vs Afghanistan in June 2026.
India won that match by an enormous innings and 300 runs. India declared at 564/8, while Afghanistan were dismissed for 152 and 112.
Manav Suthar made an excellent debut and was named Player of the Match after taking six wickets in Afghanistan’s first innings.
So, if you searched for India vs Afghanistan Odi 2026, remember that the tour covered both red-ball and white-ball cricket.
Where to Watch India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team?
For completed matches, viewers can check official scorecards and match centres for full details.
The best source for the scorecard discussed in this article is the Cricbuzz match page:
For official Indian cricket information, fixtures and match results, readers can also use:
BCCI official website
For future fixtures, broadcast and streaming details can change from series to series, so checking the official broadcaster or tournament announcement close to match day is safer than relying on an old article.
Expert Insight: What Can We Learn From the Match?
The biggest lesson from this ODI is adaptability, smart batting and staying calm under pressure. The India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard clearly shows how quickly the momentum changed during the rain-shortened contest.
The match was reduced to 25 overs per side because of rain. That meant both teams had very little time to settle into the usual ODI rhythm. Afghanistan needed to score quickly, while India had to bowl with an attacking mindset from the start.
The India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard highlights Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s outstanding response. He smashed 102 runs from just 51 balls, including eight fours and eight sixes. His strike rate of 200 gave Afghanistan a strong platform despite losing early wickets.
India responded differently. Shubman Gill provided stability with an unbeaten 84, while KL Rahul changed the pace of the chase with a quick 39* from 19 balls. Looking at the India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard, this combination of controlled batting and late acceleration was one of the biggest reasons India completed the chase successfully.
Another important point from the India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard is India’s bowling response. Afghanistan had reached a competitive position because of Gurbaz’s brilliant innings, but India kept taking wickets at important moments. Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey took three wickets each, while Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy also contributed with two wickets apiece.
The India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard also shows that Afghanistan should not be judged only by the seven-wicket defeat. Their early collapse could have resulted in a much smaller total, but Gurbaz’s counterattack completely changed the innings.
For India, the biggest positive was the ability to recover after conceding a century at a strike rate of 200. The India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard ultimately tells a story of two different approaches: Afghanistan relied heavily on explosive individual batting, while India combined a strong foundation with a powerful finish.
Conclusion: A Scorecard With Plenty of Story
The India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard from the first ODI tells a fascinating story.
Afghanistan scored 194 all out in 24.5 overs.
Gurbaz smashed 102 from 51 balls and gave his side genuine hope.
India then chased the target in 22.5 overs, finishing on 195/3.
Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 84 provided the foundation. KL Rahul’s unbeaten 39 from 19 balls provided the fireworks.
The result was a seven-wicket Indian victory.
And when we zoom out, the story becomes even clearer. India went on to win the ODI series 3-0, after also winning the one-off Test by an innings and 300 runs.
For anyone searching Ind vs Afg, Ind vs Afg Odi, Odi Ind vs Afg, or Ind vs Afg 2nd Odi, the 2026 tour offered plenty of memorable numbers.
But the first ODI will probably be remembered most for Gurbaz’s astonishing hundred, Gill’s calm response and Rahul’s very uncivilized relationship with the boundary rope.
Cricket, as usual, refused to be boring.
Frequently Asked Questions — India vs Afghanistan
1. Who won the India vs Afghanistan 1st ODI in 2026?
India won the first ODI by 7 wickets. Afghanistan scored 194, while India reached 195/3 in 22.5 overs.
2. What was Afghanistan’s score in the first ODI?
Afghanistan were bowled out for 194 in 24.5 overs in the rain-shortened match.
3. Who scored a century for Afghanistan?
Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 102 from 51 balls, including eight fours and eight sixes.
4. Who was Player of the Match in India vs Afghanistan 1st ODI?
Shubman Gill was named Player of the Match after scoring an unbeaten 84.
5. What was India’s score in the first ODI?
India scored 195/3 in 22.5 overs and won by seven wickets.