Will rain play spoilsport in 1st India-Afghanistan ODI?
What's the story
The first One Day International (ODI) match between India and Afghanistan is set to be played today at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The match marks India's transition from Test cricket to white-ball format, following their recent innings-and-300-run victory over Afghanistan in a one-off Test in Mullanpur. However, the weather conditions are a major concern for fans hoping to see India kick off their ODI campaign under Shubman Gill's captaincy.
Forecast details
IMD issues weather alert for June 12-16
The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for June 12, predicting thunderstorms, hail, and gusty winds in parts of Himachal Pradesh. A yellow alert will be in effect from June 13 to June 16, warning of rain, thunderstorms, and lightning at isolated places. For today, light rain is expected in Dharamsala with a 55% chance of precipitation. The temperature is likely to range between 12°C and 18°C.
DLS
Will DLS come into play?
The weather forecast poses a major concern for fans eager to watch India begin their ODI campaign under Gill's leadership. Any significant rain could affect the match and force teams to rely on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. Meanwhile, the Indian team will miss two key players for the series opener. Virat Kohli has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury, while Hardik Pandya will miss the entire series with a leg sprain.
Team lineup
Here are the probable XIs
India (Probable XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav. Afghanistan (Probable XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Saleem, AM Ghazanfar, Ziaur Rahman.