The Indian cricket team (IND) will be looking at this series as a tune-up for a hectic international season that is ahead of them. Shubman Gill would be keenly looked at as the preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup begin. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya’s absence will be felt dearly, but Rohit Sharma’s presence should give the hosts a huge boost.

Afghanistan (AFG) may have lost the one-off Test to India by a huge margin, but the team is very strong in the white-ball formats. The presence of players like Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran will give the visiting side much-needed firepower against the hosts. Veteran star Mohannad Nabi will be keen to use this series to keep himself in the selectors’ books for the next 2027 ODI World Cup.

Details of the IND vs AFG 1st ODI

Match: India vs Afghanistan, First ODI

Date and Time: 13th June 2026, 1:30 PM

Venue – Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Broadcast and Live Streaming: Star Sports network channels, JioHotStar App and Website

HPCA Stadium Pitch Report

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium will host its 10th ODI game, and there is some bad news. Rains are expected to delay the start of the game, which means we could be in for a shortened affair. In such a scenario, the captain winning the toss will opt to bowl first.

Seamers will get good help with the new ball, and there could be some dew towards the second half of the game. The pitch will be flat, and the shorter boundaries could also mean that it could be a run-feast, and a high-scoring encounter is expected.

IND vs AFG Head-to-Head

Matches – 4

IND – 3

AFG – 0

Tied Matches -1

IND vs AFG: Predicted Playing XIs

India – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.

Afghanistan – Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hasmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Allah Ghanzafar, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Ziaur Rahman.

IND vs AFG: Predicted best performers of the match

Best batter – Shubman Gill

India’s skipper has been in fine form recently, not just in the IPL but also in the one-off Test match where he scored a ton. Shubman Gill is just 47 runs away from scoring 3000 runs in the ODI format and will be keen to go past that mark.

So far, the 26-year-old has played 61 ODI games and has also hit eight centuries and 17 fifties with one double ton.

Best bowler – Rashid Khan

The visiting side will bank on the experience of Rashid Khan, who has taken 210 wickets from 117 ODI games for his side. Rashid didn’t have a great IPL season to begin with, but then found his rhythm towards the backend of the season. Indians aren’t that good players of spin in the modern era, and the Afghans will be aware of this fact and will look at their most experienced bowler to deliver the goods.

Who will win the IND vs AFG first ODI?

Based on the form and overall experience, it is the Indian side that will be the favourites to win the game. Afghanistan could run the Men in Blue close during the opening game if the match is shortened due to inclement weather, but expect the hosts to come out on top in the opening ODI.