Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey make India ODI debuts in Dharamsala 2026

India gave ODI debuts to Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar in a 25-over match against Afghanistan in Dharamsala.

Rain delays toss Heavy drizzle forced the toss to be pushed back by four hours and fifteen minutes from its original 1:00 pm schedule. The rain also reduced the first ODI between India and Afghanistan to a 25 overs-a-side contest. The match was played in Dharamsala with overcast conditions expected to persist. Both teams prepared for a potential early finish due to the weather. ## India make batting changes In the absence of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul was placed at number three in the batting order. Shubman Gill led the team as captain, with Rohit Sharma opening alongside him. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were slotted at four and five, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy followed in the middle order. Ishan Kishan was named wicketkeeper for the match, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Prince remained as substitutes. ## Gill prefers chasing Shubman Gill opted to bowl first after winning the toss, citing overcast conditions and potential rain. He mentioned that the pitch could favor batting later in the innings. Gill also noted that chasing might be the better option under the circumstances. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi chose to bowl after losing the toss. ## Afghanistan debuts and selections Afghanistan handed a debut to fast bowler Ziaur Rahman, who joined a mix of three spinners and three seamers in the lineup. The team featured Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the top, with Hashmatullah Shahidi leading as captain. Rahmat Shah and Azmatullah Omarzai played key roles in the middle order, while Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan formed a strong spin attack. Mohammad Saleem and AM Ghazanfar completed the bowling options. ## Squad lineup details - India: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Ishan Kishan (wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Harsh Dubey, 9 Gurnoor Brar, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Prasidh Krishna - Afghanistan: 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Rahmat Shah, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mohammad Saleem, 10 AM Ghazanfar, 11 Ziaur Rahman ## Recent form and timing India’s last ODI before this match was played in January, while Afghanistan had not featured in an ODI since October 2025. The teams faced a significant gap in their schedules before this encounter. Both sides used the match to test new players and strategies. The reduced-overs format added an extra layer of challenge for the debutants.