Shubman Gill & Hashmatullah Shahidi (Source: AFP Photos)
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and opted to field first against Shubman Gill's India in the second ODI of the series at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
Meanwhile, Prince Yadav will make his debut for India, becoming the third player to wear an international jersey for the first time in this series after Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey.
In other developments, India will have four frontline openers – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan – in their top four. The move happened because Nitish Kumar Reddy was injured, while Harsh Dubey was unavailable for selection.
Afghanistan, too, have made a few changes, with Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Ziaur Rahman Sharifi being sidelined. While Nabi and Omarzai are two of the best in Afghanistan cricket, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi conceded 39 runs off his four overs during the IND Vs AFG 1st ODI.
What Happened In IND Vs AFG 1st ODI?
India met Afghanistan in the first ODI at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. There, Shubman Gill stepped up with the bat, while Gurnoor Brar had a debut to remember with the ball in hand.
Due to continuous rain, the first ODI between India and Afghanistan had a delayed start, with a 25-over-per-side game confirmed by the officials. Afghanistan, batting first, rode on Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 51-ball 102 to post 194 runs on the board.
India, in reply, went past the finishing line with 13 balls to spare, with Shubman Gill remaining not out on 66-ball 84. KL Rahul played a brisk 19-ball 39 to get the job done quickly, which eventually led to Gill staying in his 80s.
Given that the India vs Afghanistan ODIs are a three-match series, the visitors would like to win in Lucknow to take it to the decider, which will be held at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on June 20.
India Vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI Playing XIs
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav
Also Read: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow Pitch Report, Weather Report For IND Vs AFG 2nd ODI 2026
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Darwish Rasooli, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Bilal Sami
India Vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI: What Do Captains Say?
Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan Captain): We want to bowl first. The wicket looks fresh. I think it'll be spinning in the first innings. In the last game, we played really well; we missed the partnerships. We had one partnership and then threw away our wickets.
Hopefully we come back stronger. Our boys have a lot of passion for cricket. We have three changes. Nabi is sick, Azmat got injured, and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi isn't playing.
Shubman Gill (India Captain): We would have bowled first as well. It's all about being in difficult situations and getting that experience.
Three changes. Prince makes his debut. We've got Kuldeep and Jaiswal in.
Also Read: "Daylight Robbery With Ruturaj Gaikwad"- Fans Attack Sri Lankan Umpires
