India national cricket team secured a seven-wicket victory over the Afghanistan national cricket team in the opening match of the ODI series played on Saturday in Dharamsala.

After winning the toss, India national cricket team opted to bowl first in the rain-affected contest, which was revised from 50 overs to 25 overs.

Batting first, Afghanistan posted 194 runs in 24.5 overs and set a 195-run target for India.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the standout performer for Afghanistan, producing a stunning knock of 102 runs off just 51 balls, smashing 8 fours and 8 sixes, but his effort was not enough to prevent India from taking the win in the series opener.

Afghanistan A defeated India A by four runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in the opening match of the Tri-Nation A Series in Sri Lanka on Thursday.

The one-day tournament, which features Afghanistan A, India A and Sri Lanka A, got underway earlier this week, with Afghanistan A making a winning start in a match ultimately decided by rain interruptions.

Chasing India A’s target, Afghanistan A were 177 for 2 in 25.5 overs when rain forced players from the field for the final time. At that stage, Afghanistan A were ahead of the DLS par score, giving them a four-run victory when officials called off the match.

The result capped a strong batting performance from Afghanistan A, who recovered from the early loss of two wickets to build a solid partnership between Bahir Shah and Imran. The pair steadily kept the chase on track, rotating the strike effectively while finding timely boundaries.

Imran brought up a well-crafted half-century during the innings, reaching the milestone with a boundary through point. Bahir Shah also reached his fifty shortly before rain halted play, sweeping Vipraj Nigam for four to complete the landmark.

The partnership accelerated as conditions improved. Imran struck a six over square leg off Arshad, while Bahir mixed conventional and reverse sweeps to keep the scoreboard moving. Afghanistan A were 177/2 and three runs ahead of the DLS par score when the weather intervened again.

Despite hopes of a resumption, persistent rain prevented any further play, handing Afghanistan A victory and valuable points in the tournament standings.

The Tri-Nation A Series continues in Sri Lanka with all three sides using the competition to provide international exposure to some of their most promising emerging players.

Named Player of the Match, Afghanistan A captain Imran credited the team’s belief and positive approach.

“It was our first match, and we played natural cricket. Believed in myself and the team for the run chase,” he said.

India A captain Tilak Varma admitted that the rain-affected conditions and DLS calculations ultimately worked against his side.

“We batted well. But unfortunately, the way DLS works… Afghanistan A batted well but at the same time we thought chasing 294 in 38 overs was going to be tough. Bowling isn’t a concern, but we’ll go back to the drawing board. Our goal is to win the next couple of games and make the final,” Tilak said.

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has reportedly been ruled out of the upcoming three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan after sustaining a quadriceps strain.

The setback comes just after Pandya had received clearance to resume playing following a back spasm injury that sidelined him during the Indian Premier League (IPL) while representing Mumbai Indians.

According to Indian media reports, Pandya was undergoing fitness assessments at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru when he suffered the new injury. The quadriceps strain is believed to have occurred while bowling during his rehabilitation and fitness tests.

The injury is expected to keep the 32-year-old out of action for several weeks, ruling him out of the ODI series against Afghanistan, which begins on Saturday in Dharamsala.

“With three weeks for recovery, there is absolutely no chance of him playing the ODI series as his rehabilitation will not be complete,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.

Pandya had missed several matches for Mumbai Indians during the IPL season due to his back issue before returning for the team’s final league match against Rajasthan Royals on May 24.

India and Afghanistan are scheduled to play three ODIs, with the opening match in Dharamsala followed by fixtures in Lucknow and Chennai on June 17 and June 20, respectively.

Pandya’s absence is a blow to India, with the experienced all-rounder considered a key figure in both the batting and bowling departments.