They might have missed making their India debuts in Test cricket, but fast bowler Gurnoor Brar and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey got their maiden ODI caps during the series opener against Afghanistan on Saturday, June 13. They had to wait a bit longer on the match day because rain nearly played spoilsport, allowing only a truncated game of 25-overs-per-side at the scenic HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
Gurnoor Brar was given his cap by his good friend and Punjab teammate, Shubman Gill while KL Rahul handed Harsh Dubey his maiden ODI cap.
IND vs AFG 1st ODI: Updates | Scorecard
Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl in the ODI series opener, which also marked the return of Rohit Sharma.
India left out spinner Kuldeep Yadav in order to make way for Harsh Dubey and Washington Sundar while Gurnoor Brar joined Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh as the frontline pacers. Nitish Kumar Reddy slotted in as the fast-bowling all-rounder, replacing the injured Hardik Pandya.
In Virat Kohli’s absence, Ishan Kishan got an opportunity at No. 3 and was donning the wicketkeeping gloves ahead of KL Rahul.
WHO IS GURNOOR BRAR
Standing at an imposing six feet five inches, Punjab’s Gurnoor Brar brings raw, intimidating physicality to India’s pace corridors. Intriguingly, the 26-year-old was a late bloomer who preferred football and tennis before a casual trial in the 11th standard, prompted entirely by his soaring height, redirected him toward the bowling crease. He soon caught the attention of teammate Shubman Gill in the under-19 nets, fast-tracking his progress into Punjab’s senior white-ball and Ranji Trophy line-ups.
What makes Brar an incredibly enticing prospect for the national team is his rare ability to consistently hit the 140 km/h mark while generating steep, unnatural bounce from the hardest lengths of flat decks. After a highly productive 2024/25 Ranji season where he picked up 26 wickets, followed by dynamic white-ball outings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he earned an IPL stint with the Gujarat Titans. Though he spent the 2026 season on the sidelines, Brar utilized the time strictly to absorb masterclasses from international speedsters Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada.
GAVASKAR LAUDS SELECTORS
Speaking to the broadcasters, batting great Sunil Gavaskar lauded the selection committee for going beyond numbers to pick cricketers, whom they think have potential.
When Gill was named in both the Test and ODI squads for the Afghanistan series, a lot of eyebrows were raised, but the 26-year-old has played plenty of domestic and cricket for India A in the recent past.
“Not a lot of people heard of him when they picked him. One thing we need to understand is the selectors watch a lot of matches. If we were only to go by the runs scored or wickets taken, then we might have scorers as selectors,” Gavaskar said.
“The selection committee sees the little spark which scorecards don’t always tell.”
WHO IS HARSH DUBEY
Hailing from Vidarbha, 23-year-old Harsh Dubey has completed a meteoric rise through India’s domestic ranks to earn his maiden ODI cap against Afghanistan in Dharamshala. A highly skilled left-arm orthodox spinner and a more-than-capable lower-order left-handed batter, Dubey forced his way into national reckoning on the back of an extraordinary 2024/25 Ranji Trophy campaign. He scripted domestic history by snapping up 69 wickets—the highest-ever haul in a single Ranji season—propelling Vidarbha to a famous title victory.
Harsh has played two seasons of IPL for the SunRisers Hyderabad, taking a total of 13 wickets in 11 matches.
TEAM NEWS
Meanwhile, Afghanistan played a three-man spin attack, getting Rashid Khan, who missed the one-off Test to lead their bowling line-up.
INDIA PLAYING XI: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.
AFGHANISTAN PLAYING XI: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi
– Ends
