Rahmanullah Gurbaz Blasts Masterful Century In The Rainy Ind vs Afg 1st ODI

DHARAMSHALA: A spectacular, counter-attacking century from opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz lit up the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. In the Ind vs Afg 1st ODI, Afghanistan scored a massive 194 all out. 

In a match reduced to a 25-overs-a-side shootout due to rain, the visitors weathered an initial batting collapse before their star wicketkeeper-batsman staged a lone rescue mission.Opting to bowl first under overcast conditions, India’s refreshed bowling attack made immediate inroads. Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh extracted sharp movement off the pitch, leaving the Afghan top order in tatters. The visitors found themselves reeling at a precarious 26 for 3 within the first five overs, as India's opening bowlers exploited the moisture in the deck perfectly.

Just as the host looked to run away with the game, Gurbaz took absolute center stage. In an exhibition of sheer modern-day white-ball batting, the aggressive right-hander single-handedly neutralised the bowling attack. Defying the bowler-friendly conditions and a collapsing batting line-up, Gurbaz smashed a jaw-dropping 102 runs off just 51 deliveries. His blistering knock was punctuated by ferocious pulling and clean hitting down the ground, single-handedly keeping the scoreboard ticking at over eight runs an over.

Despite Gurbaz's heroics, India's debutants ensured Afghanistan could not completely run away with the momentum. Rookie bowling duo Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey displayed exceptional composure on debut. Showing immense tactical maturity, they varied their pace and line to stifle the lower-middle order. 

Brar and Dubey tore through the rest of the lineup, picking up three wickets each to restrict the damage.Gurbaz’s departure in the 22nd over triggered a final tail-end collapse. Afghanistan's lower order offered little resistance against the clinical discipline of the Indian death bowling, folding for 194 with just one ball left in their allotted 24.5 overs.

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