Team India got off to a roaring start against Afghanistan in the three-match ODI series. A rain-curtailed encounter saw the hosts exert complete control, with captain Shubman Gill leading the charge in Dharamsala.

Winning the toss, India opted to bowl first. Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey were handed their international debuts and they didn't fail to impress. In fact, they commandeered the charge for Team India as Afghanistan were undled out.

With the game shortened to 25 overs, Afghanistan's best bet was always their leading power-hitter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Gurbaz did get the wheels in motion early on but India hit the brakes at the other end as Brar struck the first blow to remove Ibrahim Zadran (1) early in the innings. Arshdeep Singh dealt another blow in quick succession to send Sediqullah Atal (0) packing. Singh got another, getting the better of Rahmat Shah (3), reducing the visitors to 26/3.

With the ship wobbling in treacherous waters, the Afghan captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi (27) joined Gurbaz and the two put up a 116-run stand to bring Afghanistan back into the game. Nitish Kumar Reddy finally breached the defences of Gurbaz to quell the stand. Much to their woes, the visitors lost Shahidi in the very next over itself as Harsh Dubey landed his first of the day.

The fall of Gurbaz's wicket precipitated a collapse as Afghanistan lost their last seven wickets in a span of just 50 runs. Azmatullah Omarzai (26) put up a solid fight as Afghanistan finished with 194 from 24.5 overs. The debutant duo of Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar claimed six wickets between them, meaning India needed 195 runs to win the game.

The hosts got off to a roaring start as Rohit Sharma (16) and Shubman Gill hunkered down to business from the outset itself. Gill looked in cruise control while Sharma got a couple of boundaries during his sojourn in the center. Sharma fell short of the crease after Rashid Khan struck timbre but the hosts knew exactly what to do.

A 70-run partnership formed for the second wicket as the incoming Ishan Kishan (34) perfectly complemented Gill’s blistering brilliance. It was Rashid Khan again to get his name on the scoresheet as India lost their second. However, the aspirations for Team India never changed as they knew exactly how to go on about the chase.

Shreyas Iyer (12) couldn’t add too many runs and his departure did intensify the frown on the Indian visages. But KL Rahul arrived and dispelled all possible fears that the Indian side had with a solid innings of 39* from just 19 balls. Gill at the other end, switched gears too and India reached the finish line with a couple of overs to spare.

Shubman Gill stayed unbeaten for 84 from just 66 balls, hammering 11 fours and two sixes. He also walked away with the Player of the Match award for his incredible batting performance as India surged 1-0 ahead in the series.