India Looks to Seal ODI Series Against Afghanistan in Lucknow
Lucknow — India will look to clinch the three-match ODI series when it faces Afghanistan in the second match at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.
The hosts opened the series with a seven-wicket win in a rain-shortened match in Dharamsala. Chasing 195 in a 25-over contest, India reached the target with 13 balls to spare after restricting Afghanistan to 194.
Debutants Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey impressed with the ball as India’s young bowling attack delivered a disciplined performance.
With the series on the line, India may continue to test different combinations as it builds toward the 2027 ODI World Cup. Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal remain among the players who could come into the playing XI.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, must win to keep the series alive ahead of the final ODI on June 20. The visitors will need a stronger batting performance after depending heavily on Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first match. Their bowling hopes are again expected to rest on star spinners Rashid Khan and AM Ghazanfar.
The slower surface in Lucknow could offer more assistance to Afghanistan’s spin attack, setting up an important contest as India pushes for the series win and Afghanistan looks to force a decider.
The second ODI will be played Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. IST at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
The match will be broadcast on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on JioStar.
Squads:
India: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav.
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Bilal Sami, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Fareed Ahmad Malik, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi. (Source: IANS)
