The India-Afghanistan ODI opener in Dharamsala provided a sneak peak into the teams’ planning ahead of the World Cup next year in South Africa.
India seem to be focusing on their backups for Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh, given the hard and bouncy wickets expected there.
Injuries and workload management worries have opened the doors for the newcomers to make their case. Gurnoor Brar’s impressive debut, Harsh Dubey’s eventful first outing and Nitish Kumar Reddy’s timely breakthroughs have all added to India’s depth.
In his debut game, Brar proved the selectors right. He hit the deck hard, and consistently crossed 145kmph. While Afghanistan scored at 7.81 per over, Brar picked up 3/27 at 5.58.
The rain-curtailed contest in Dharamsala also allowed India to experiment with Ishan Kishan in a new role at No.3. KL Rahul looked set to make the No.5 role his own with a valuable cameo towards the closing stages.
But a lot will depend on how Rohit Sharma performs in the remaining two matches. He was unfortunately run out in the opener following a mix-up with Shubman Gill but looked in good touch following his injury worries during his short stay at the wicket.
Spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule stressed that Rohit remains an important member of the ODI team not just for his batting but also for his leadership abilities and experience he brings to the side.
His future in the ODI format and his preparations for the 2027 World Cup have been under scrutiny. Rohit has endured a lean run, scoring just 77 runs in his last four innings.
“Rohit Sharma is an experienced player, he is a champion cricketer. He is somebody who adds value to this team with his experience not only batting wise but his leadership qualities also... It rubs on the whole team,” Bahutule said in Lucknow ahead of the second ODI.
“Him being in this side is definitely very very important and he is somebody who understands each game, who understands what is expected from him and from the team.
“I think he is just been looking forward to every match and all the work he is putting in is like he has just started playing,” Bahutule added.