The toss for the 1st ODI ODI between India and Afghanistan was delayed due to persistent rain at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, Dharamsala on Saturday, June 13.
Notably, the buildup to the match was dominated by rain, with the picturesque town witnessing rain over the past two days and again on the eve of the match.
After the toss delay due to heavy rain, the drizzle continues to fall steadily and heavily. As per weather forecast website Accuweather, there is more rain in store till 4:30 PM IST, with conditions expected to improve later in the evening. However, the eventual start timing of the match will depend on the drainage capacity of the venue once rain goes away.
Add Zee News as a Preferred Source
Cut-Off Time For A 20-Over Game
The lengthy delay in the toss already means that overs will be lost. The cut-off time for a 20-over game is 6:32 PM IST.
Notably, Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method applies for revised targets if overs are reduced in a rain-affected ODIs. However, at least 20 overs per side must be completed for any official result in an ODI game. If rain prevents this, the match is abandoned (no result).
Importance Of Afghanistan ODIs For India
The three‑match series against Afghanistan holds vital importance in India’s road to the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Shubman Gill-led India are without Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, who have been ruled out due to hamstring and leg injuries respectively. Former skipper and veteran opener Rohit Sharma, however, cleared his fitness test at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and is set to open alongside Gill.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel had said in the pre-match press conference that the team management is prepared to experiment for the number three position in this series in Kohli’s absence, with KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan all in contention.
The conditions in Dharamshala have always been expected to aid fast bowlers with the new ball, this making the toss a crucial factor. With rain around and a possibility of a truncated game, it makes toss even more decisive considering the moisture pitch will have.
Three of the five ODIs played in Dharamshala during the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup were won by teams batting first. India have a 3-0 record in ODI meetings against Afghanistan, while one game – in 2018 Asia Cup – ended in a tie.
Squads for India and Afghanistan
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.
(With IANS inputs)
