India eye series win amid search for World Cup depth

The opening ODI in Dharamsala offered a glimpse into where both teams stand in their World Cup build-up. After months of T20 cricket, with a one-off Test also in between, India finally got their 50-over preparations underway with a comfortable seven-wicket win that showcased both the strength of their established core and the promise of new faces. Afghanistan, meanwhile, showed they have the quality to compete with India, but their inability to capitalise on key moments - with both bat and ball - underlined the gap they still need to bridge against the top sides.

In a rain-curtailed contest of 25 overs per side, India unveiled two debutants, handed Ishan Kishan a long-awaited return in a new role, and saw Shubman Gill continue to look at ease as captain. The move to Lucknow offers India another chance to assess their combinations. Injuries and workload management have left India without some first-choice names, but those absences have also opened the door for others to make their case. Gurnoor Brar's impressive debut, Harsh Dubey's eventful first outing and Nitish Kumar Reddy's timely breakthroughs have all added to India's depth ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, will take encouragement from the fact that for long periods in Dharamsala they were very much in the contest. Rahmanullah Gurbaz's breathtaking 48-ball hundred briefly threatened to take the game away from India before a middle-order collapse left them nearly 30 runs short, according to captain Hashmatullah Shahidi. The challenge now is to find greater support around Gurbaz, especially against an Indian attack that, despite its inexperience, looked disciplined and purposeful.

When: Wednesday, June 17 at 1:30 PM IST

Where: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

What to expect: While the Ekana Stadium is often viewed as a venue that favours spin, pace bowlers have actually enjoyed slightly greater success in ODIs here, averaging just over 30 compared to the spinners' 33.64. The venue hasn't hosted an ODI since the 2023 World Cup, when the average first-innings score was 238. In the same tournament, three of the five matches were won by the chasing side, while South Africa (311 vs Australia) and India (229 vs England) were the only teams to defend totals successfully.

Team news:

India: Rohit Sharma took a blow to the wrist in the first ODI and was seen in discomfort. Should India choose to rest him, Yashasvi Jaiswal could slot in alongside Gill at the top.

Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma / Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

Afghanistan: The visitors are likely to stick to the same combination that took the field in the opening ODI.

Probable XI: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi

Did you know?

- Afghanistan have played four ODIs in Lucknow. They lost 0-3 to West Indies in November 2019 and defeated Netherlands by seven wickets during the 2023 World Cup.

- India have played two ODIs at the Ekana Stadium: they lost to South Africa by nine runs in 2022 and defeated England by 100 runs during the 2023 World Cup.

What they said:

"He's a champion of [a] cricketer. I think he's somebody who adds value to this team with his experience, not only batting-wise but his leadership qualities also rubs on to all the boys, with Shubman also. So I think him being in the side is definitely very, very important and he's somebody who understands each game, who understands what is expected from him and from the team. I think he's just in looking forward to every match and all the work he's putting in is like he's just started playing" - Sairaj Bahutule, India spin bowling coach, on Rohit Sharma.