Rahmanullah Gurbaz Names Gautam Gambhir The Reason Behind His India Onslaught

Rahmanullah Gurbaz credits Gautam Gambhir [Source: AFP]

Rahmanullah Gurbaz enjoyed stellar success in the first ODI against India, registering the fastest ODI hundred for Afghanistan. 

The destructive opening batter clobbered 102 runs off just 51 balls en route to a blazing knock at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. 

Interestingly, the Afghan batter credited India's head coach Gautam Gambhir for his success, explaining how the former cricketer helped him fine-tune his game. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz shines amid Afghanistan's collapse

After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, India managed early breakthroughs, courtesy of fiery opening spells from Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar. 

Making his debut for the Indian team, Gurnoor got rid of Ibrahim Zadran, while Arshdeep bagged the prized breakthroughs of Rahmat Shah and Sediqullah Atal in quick succession. 

However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz remained unperturbed by the shaky start, dispatching the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground. The explosive batter brought up a scintillating 48-ball hundred, thereby registering the fastest century for his team in ODIs. 

Gurbaz credits Gautam Gambhir for batting exploits vs India

After leaving India shell-shocked with a magnificent knock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz revealed how Gautam Gambhir's advice helped him evolve his game.

Notably, Gurbaz failed to convert his starts into significant scores in the one-off Test against India at the Mullanpur Stadium. The right-hander managed only 36 runs in two innings combined, seeking improvement in his game after the conclusion of the match. 

Speaking to the broadcasters, Gurbaz disclosed that he had a conversation with Gautam Gambhir, who helped him regain his mojo ahead of the ODI series. 

The Afghanistan batter said that he implemented Gambhir's advice in the net sessions and eventually reaped the rewards. 

"I think after the Test match I had a very good conversation with GG sir. The discussion we had really helped me, and I worked on those points during the net sessions. I'm very grateful because after the Test match, I went to Gautam Gambhir sir and told him that I wanted to improve my shot selection," Gurbaz told the broadcasters during the mid-innings break. 

"He gave me some positive advice and areas to work on, and I benefited from that today. I tried to play positively, and it helped me," he added. 

It's worth mentioning that Gautam Gambhir was pretty much approachable to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, as the duo had already worked together during their IPL 2024 stint with KKR. 

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While Gurbaz played three matches for the team, Gambhir served as the team mentor, powering the Shreyas Iyer-led side to its third IPL title. 

India in command despite Gurbaz's flamboyant century

Despite Rahmanullah Gurbaz's sublime ton, Afghanistan lost the momentum and were bowled out for 194 runs in the rain-curtailed contest. In response, India had a fabulous start to their innings, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill exploiting the field restrictions in the powerplay. 

As of writing, the hosts had cruised to 34 for no loss, with Rohit and Gill batting on 15* and 11*, respectively. 

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