great indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar Highly praised the selfless team culture going on in the current Indian dressing room. His comments were after India’s seven-wicket win over Afghanistan in the rain-interrupted first One Day International (ODI) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
Due to the match being interrupted by rain, the match was reduced to an intense game of 25-25 overs. Despite the explosive century of Afghani opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, India easily achieved the difficult target with 13 balls remaining. Whereas Shubman GillHis anchor innings earned him the Player of the Match award KL RahulThe explosive finish caught Gavaskar’s attention, sparking a conversation on intent versus individual milestones.
Sunil Gavaskar talks openly about KL Rahul’s intentions as Shubman Gill nears his century in the first ODI
As the match was heading towards its conclusion, opener Gill was on course to reach a memorable century in the 80s. Also, India needed around 30 runs to win. Instead of playing dot balls to allow his partner to hit the milestone, middle-order batsman Rahul decided to switch gears to attack.
Rahul targeted Afghan bowler Ziaur RahmanJoe was incredibly economical up to that point, conceding only 19 runs in his first three overs. Rahul thrashed the left arm spinner and scored 20 runs in a single over. This explosive cameo effectively sealed the game but left Gill on 84 not out.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’ show, Sunil Gavaskar emphasized that this approach reflects a healthy, team-first ecosystem:
“Before that over by Zia Ur Rahman, he had bowled three overs giving only 19 runs. Then KL Rahul scored 20 runs in that over. By that time, Shubman Gill needed 21 runs to complete his century, with the team still needing around 30 runs to win. But then Rahul took command. That tells you everything about this team. It’s not about individual milestones. It’s about what each player can do for the team. Winning the match in the 23rd over shows how easy it was to chase the target. It was a difficult goal, not easy at all. But they made it look so ridiculously simple because they put the team in first place“
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India easily defeated Afghanistan in the one-sided first ODI.
Earlier in the day, Afghanistan were put to bat after a long delay due to wet outfield and rain. opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz Played a brilliant lone-warrior innings, scoring 102 runs in just 51 balls, which included 8 fours and 8 sky-high sixes. However, the rest of the batting order disintegrated under pressure.
Harsh Dubey He was the best among the Indian bowlers, taking 3 wickets for 47 runs in his 5 overs. they were brilliantly supported Gurnoor BrarWho took 3 wickets for 27 runs and in the end Afghanistan team was out for 194 runs in 24.5 overs.
Chasing 195 runs (required run rate 7.80) in 25 overs, India never looked nervous. captain Rohit Sharma Scored a quick 16 runs in 16 balls before being run out, and Ishan Kishan Played a quick inning of 34 runs in 22 balls.
Gill started the innings with a brilliant inning of 84* runs (11 fours, 1 six) off 66 balls and kept India firmly in control. When? Shreyas Iyer After being dismissed for 12, Rahul came out with an aggressive mindset and scored 39* off just 19 balls at a strike rate of 205.26. Their unbroken 53-run partnership ensured India scored 195/3 in 22.5 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
