Just like Team India, Afghanistan will also be having just 14 players to choose from for the upcoming first ODI. The two teams, who are set to lock horns for a three-match one-day series, have dealt blows in their own right. While India haven’t named a replacement for Hardik Pandya after the all-rounder got injured just before the series, Afghanistan have a more emotional news to attend to in their camp.
Darwish Rasooli, one of their promising batters, has left the Afghanistan camp. The 26-year-old lost his father on June 11 when Rasooli was in India, practicing for the series ahead. He wasn’t part of the one-off Test squad but was focused on his possible ODI debut. However, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has confirmed that the batter has flown back to Afghanistan to attend his family after the unfortunate demise of his father.
No Rasooli for Afghanistan in 1st ODI
“Unfortunately, last night we got to know that Darwish Rasooli has lost his father. He has flown back home to be with his family,” Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said during the pre-match press conference in Dharamsala.
While it remains to be seen if Rasooli will come back for the second ODI (June 17 in Lucknow) or not, this delays his ODI debut. At 26, Rasooli was one of the few bright stars for Afghanistan in the batting unit. He already has 28 T20 international appearances to his name. However, his List-A record of 3,022 runs at 54.94 and at SR of 93.79 is exceptional too.
Predicted Afghanistan Playing XI vs IND, 1st ODI
| S. No. | Player Name | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wicket-keeper |
| 2 | Ibrahim Zadran | Batter |
| 3 | Sediqullah Atal | Batter |
| 4 | Rahmat Shah | Batter |
| 5 | Hashmatullah Shahidi | Captain/Batter |
| 6 | Azamtullah Omarzai | Pace All-rounder |
| 7 | Mohammad Nabi | Spin All-rounder |
| 8 | Rashid Khan | Spin All-rounder |
| 9 | Allah Ghazanfar/Zia Ur Rahman | Spinner/Pacer |
| 10 | Saleem Safi | Pacer |
| 11 | Bilal Sami | Pacer |
Afghanistan’s Squad for 1st ODI vs India
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil(w), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Darwish Rasooli, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi
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