Legendary Indian pastry Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on the dedicated team culture that permeates the current Indian dressing room. His comments came after India’s clinical seven-run victory over Afghanistan in the rain-interrupted first One Day International (ODI) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
The rain-curtailed fixture saw the contest turn into a tense 25-over game. Despite the explosive century from the Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, India rolled easily to a difficult target with 13 balls to spare. while Shubman Gill‘s header earned him the Player of the Match award KL RahulGavaskar’s eye-catching explosive finish sparked talk of individual milestones with intent.
Sunil Gavaskar reveals KL Rahul’s intentions as Shubman Gill approaches a ton in 1st ODI
As the match drew to a close, opener Gill was poised to hit a memorable century, sitting in the 80s. Meanwhile, India needed around 30 runs to secure victory. Instead of playing dot balls to hit the stage for his partner, the middle-order-inclined Rahul decided to shift gears aggressively.
Rahul targeted the Afghan bowler Ziaur Rahmantill then he was incredibly economical, conceding just 19 runs from his first three overs. Rahul rips the left-arm spinner to smash 20 runs in one over. That explosive cameo effectively sealed the game, but Gill was stranded on an unbeaten 84.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’ show, Sunil Gavaskar emphasized that this approach reflects a healthy, team-first ecosystem:
“Before that, he had bowled three overs for just 19 runs off Zia Ur Rahman. Then KL Rahul scored 20 runs. By this point, Shubman Gill needed 21 runs to reach his hundred, with the team still needing around 30 runs to win. But then Rahul took over. That tells you everything about this team. It’s not about personal milestones. It’s about what each player can do for the team. Winning the 23rd match shows how clinical the chase is. It was a tough target, not an easy one at all. But they made it look ridiculously simple because they put the team first.”
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India beat Afghanistan in a one-sided first ODI contest
Earlier in the day, after a long delay due to wet field and rain, Afghanistan were put into bat. An opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz Played a magnificent lone batsman knock, blasting 102 off just 51 deliveries, including 8 fours and 8 powerful sixes. But the rest of the innings collapsed under the pressure.
Tough Dubey He was the pick of the Indian bowlers, picking up 3 out of 5 wickets for 47 runs. brilliantly supported by Gurnoor BrarClearing the tail to finish with figures of 3 for 27. Afghanistan eventually struggled for 194 runs in 24.5 overs.
Chasing a target of 195 (required run rate 7.80) in 25 overs, India never looked confused. Skipper Rohit Sharma secured a quick 16 off 16 balls before being run out and Ishan Kishi chipped in with a quick 34 off 22 balls.
Gill kept the innings firmly in control with a brilliant knock of 84* off 66 balls (11 fours, 1 six). When Shreyas Iyer Down for 12, Rahul came out with an aggressive mindset blasting 39* off just 19 balls at a strike rate of 205.26. Their unbroken 53-run partnership took India to 195/3 in 22.5 overs and a 1-0 lead in the series.
