Gill’s 84 leads India to rain-affected ODI win over Afghanistan

Audio By Carbonatix

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — Skipper Shubman Gill scored 84 not out off 66 balls for India to beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in a rain-affected one-day international on Saturday.

Rain delayed the toss for more than four hours and reduced the match to 25 overs per side. India won with 13 balls to spare at 193-5 in reply to Afghanistan's 194 all out.

Gill hit 11 fours and two sixes with help from Lokesh Rahul, 39 not out off 19 balls.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 102 off 51 balls went in vain, though he helped Afghanistan recover from 54-7.

India debutants did well; pacer Gurnoor Brar took 3-27 and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey 3-47.

India leads the first bilateral ODI cricket series between the teams 1-0. Lucknow hosts the second ODI on Wednesday and Chennai hosts the third and last match on June 20.

Put into bat, Afghanistan was cut down to 26-3 in 4.3 overs when Gurbaz counterattacked.

He hit four sixes and four boundaries en route to 50 off only 25 balls. The next 50 came off 23 balls with another four sixes and four fours — the ninth century for Gurbaz and the first for an Afghanistan batter against India.

It was also the second quickest ODI century against India after Shahid Afridi took 45 balls in 2005 for Pakistan.

Gurbaz was eventually bowled in the 16th over — off Nitish Reddy — after putting on 116 off 66 balls with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (27).

Afghanistan slipped again. Dubey dismissed Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai (26). The last five batters didn’t reach double digits, out for 22 runs in 26 balls.

In reply, Rohit Sharma was run out on 16. Gill, though, carried his form over from the Indian Premier League in scoring his 18th ODI half-century off 37 balls.

Ishan Kishan added 34 runs and Shreyas Iyer 12, but Gill and Rahul hung tough. They put on 53 unbeaten together off 32 balls and Rahul cleaned up with three sixes and four boundaries in only 19 balls.

___

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket