India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled a superb yorker to dismiss Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first ODI of the three-match series at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday, June 13.
The wicket came on the third ball of the 16th over. Nitish fired in a swinging yorker, and Gurbaz tried to play it towards the leg side over mid-on. However, he failed to get his bat down in time as the ball slipped under it and smashed into the stumps, giving Nitish his first wicket of the match.
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https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/tObbb8kt
Gurbaz played a sensational innings, scoring 102 runs off just 51 balls. His knock included eight fours and eight sixes, and it was his ninth ODI century. After his dismissal, Afghanistan were 142/4 in 15.3 overs.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s Century Powers Afghanistan to a Strong Position in 1st ODI vs India
After being asked to bat first in a rain-shortened 25-over match, Afghanistan got off to a poor start. Opener Ibrahim Zadran was dismissed for just one run in the second over by India debutant Gurnoor Brar. Sediqullah Atal (0) and Rahmat Shah (3) also departed cheaply, with Arshdeep Singh taking both wickets, leaving Afghanistan struggling at 26/3 inside the first five overs.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi then steadied the innings. Gurbaz led the recovery with an aggressive knock, bringing up his ninth ODI century in only 48 balls — the fastest hundred by an Afghanistan batter in the format. The pair added 116 runs for the fourth wicket in just 66 balls before Nitish Kumar Reddy ended Gurbaz’s innings on 102.
Later, Harsh Dubey claimed his maiden international wicket by dismissing Shahidi for 27 off 30 balls in the 17th over. At the time of writing, Afghanistan were 165/5 after 20 overs, with Azmatullah Omarzai unbeaten on 19 and Mohammad Nabi on 3.
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