When Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Failed But Harsh Dubey Carried India On His Shoulders

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Harsh Dubey. Image Credits: X

SRH star Harsh Dubey earned his maiden international cap for Team India, doing so against Afghanistan in the first ODI of the three-match series. The 23-year-old made his debut for India at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Saturday, June 13. 

Dubey, a spin-bowling all-rounder, was included in India squad for the series on a trail of an impressive IPL 2026 season for the SRH and for his wicket-taking spree for the Vidarbha cricket team in Indian domestic tournaments. 

Not long ago, the youngster also pulled the India A side out of trouble in a crucial Asia Cup game, at a time when even teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi registered a rare failure with the bat. 

When Harsh Dubey carried India’s hopes after Sooryavanshi failure

Back in November 2025 last year, India A took on Oman in their final Group B match of the 2025 Asia Cup Rising Stars in Qatar. Bowling first at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha, India A bowlers Vijaykumar Vyshak (1-34), Gurjapneet Singh (2-37), Suyash Sharma (2-12) and Naman Dhir (1-5) restricted Oman to 135-7 in 20 overs. 

Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey also picked up the important wicket of Aryan Bisht to claim figures of 1-30 from his four-over spell. 

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Chasing 136, India A lost star opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for just 12 from 13 balls in the fifth over of the innings. Fellow explosive opener Priyansh Arya also failed to go big, as India A slipped to 37-2 inside the powerplay. 

Batting at number four, Harsh Dubey composed a fighting 53* off 44 balls. The young all-rounder launched seven boundaries and a huge six and shared match-defining partnerships with Naman Dhir and Nehal Wadhera. 

Harsh Dubey eventually anchored India A to a comprehensive six-wicket win in 17.5 overs, as Jitesh Sharma and co. stormed into the semi-final of the tournament. 

Dubey debuts for India after IPL 2026, Ranji riches

Harsh Dubey recently picked up eight wickets for the SRH franchise in eight innings of the IPL 2026 season. The cricketer even claimed match-winning figures of 3-12 against the Delhi Capitals in an otherwise high-scoring game in Hyderabad on April 21 a couple of months ago. 

In the preceding Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season for the Vidarbha cricket team, Dubey harvested 14 wickets in just six innings spanning three matches at an impressive bowling average of 23. His six-wicket haul in Nagpur helped Vidarbha overcome Uttar Pradesh by four wickets. 

India choses to field after rain delay

Team India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to field first against Afghanistan in the first ODI of their three-match series. Taking field at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Saturday, June 13, fellow international debutant Gurnoor Brar delivered the opening breakthrough of the match with the wicket of Ibrahim Zadran for just a single. 

Earlier, continuous rains washed away a major portion of the match, prompting officials to reduce it to a 25-overs game. 

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