Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey Shine as India Bowl Out Afghanistan Despite Gurbaz Century

Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey Shine as India Bowl Out Afghanistan Despite Gurbaz Century

India's young bowling brigade delivered an impressive performance in the rain-affected first ODI against Afghanistan at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, bowling out the visitors for 194 in a shortened 25-over contest. Debutants Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey emerged as the standout performers, claiming three wickets each and helping India recover after a breathtaking assault from Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

While Afghanistan's innings was dominated by Gurbaz's explosive century, India's bowlers showed remarkable composure and character to pull things back in the latter stages.

Gurbaz Produces a Spectacular Counterattack

Afghanistan's innings began on a shaky note as India struck early. The visitors lost Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, and Rahmat Shah inside the powerplay, leaving them under pressure on a surface that offered assistance to the bowlers.

However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz had other plans.

The wicketkeeper-batter survived an early scare when India opted not to review an lbw appeal while he was batting on 14. That moment proved costly as Gurbaz launched a stunning counterattack that completely changed the tempo of the innings.

After assessing the conditions carefully, Gurbaz unleashed a barrage of boundaries against the Indian attack. He dominated both pace and spin, attacking Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, and Prasidh Krishna with fearless strokeplay.

His remarkable innings of 102 came from just 48 deliveries and included eight boundaries and eight towering sixes. The hundred was the fastest ODI century by an Afghanistan batter and one of the quickest ever scored against India in the format.

Crucial Partnership Revives Afghanistan

Afghanistan found stability through a vital partnership between Gurbaz and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.

The duo added 116 runs at an impressive rate, shifting the momentum firmly in Afghanistan's favour. Shahidi contributed a valuable 27 while allowing Gurbaz to play his natural attacking game.

Azmatullah Omarzai also chipped in with a brisk 26, and at one stage Afghanistan looked well placed to cross the 220-run mark.

With Gurbaz in complete control, India appeared to be under serious pressure.

Debutants Turn the Match Around

The turning point arrived when Nitish Kumar Reddy produced a perfectly executed slower yorker to dismiss Gurbaz.

Once the dangerous opener departed, Afghanistan's batting lineup struggled to maintain the same intensity.

Harsh Dubey, despite conceding runs earlier in his spell, bounced back strongly. The left-arm spinner removed Shahidi, Omarzai, and AM Ghazanfar to finish with impressive figures of 3 for 47.

Gurnoor Brar was equally effective on his ODI debut. The tall right-arm pacer generated pace and bounce, troubling Afghanistan's lower order. His biggest moment came when he bowled Rashid Khan before later dismissing Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi to complete figures of 3 for 27.

Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy also made valuable contributions with two wickets each.

India Finish Strong

What stood out most about India's performance was their ability to recover after being put under immense pressure by Gurbaz. The bowlers maintained discipline, executed their plans effectively, and ensured Afghanistan could not capitalize fully on their strong middle phase.

After conceding runs at over ten an over during the Gurbaz-Shahidi partnership, India responded brilliantly by taking regular wickets and restricting the visitors to 194.

The effort highlighted the depth in India's bowling resources and offered encouraging signs for the team management, particularly from debutants Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey.

While Rahmanullah Gurbaz's sensational century stole headlines, India's young bowlers ultimately ensured the hosts ended the innings with momentum firmly on their side in Dharamshala.