NEW DELHI: Rain and thunderstorms could steal the spotlight when India take on Afghanistan in the first ODI of the three-match series at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday.
While Shubman Gill's India will begin their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup after a crushing innings-and-300-run victory over Afghanistan in the one-off Test in Mullanpur, all eyes will also be on the weather in the picturesque hill town.
The India camp will already be without two key players. Virat Kohli has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, while Hardik Pandya will miss the entire series after suffering a leg sprain.
However, the biggest concern ahead of the series opener is the weather forecast.
Orange alert, thunderstorms and hail threat loom over 1st ODI in Dharamsala
The India Meteorological Department has predicted wet conditions across Himachal Pradesh until June 16. An orange alert was issued for June 12, warning of thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds in several parts of the state. A yellow alert will remain in force from June 13 to June 16, indicating the possibility of rain, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places.
For match day, light rain is expected in Dharamsala with around a 55 percent chance of precipitation. Temperatures are likely to hover between 12°C and 18°C.
The weather forecast comes as a major worry for fans eager to watch India begin their ODI campaign under Gill's leadership. Any significant rain could affect the contest and force the teams to rely on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.
After the opening ODI in Dharamsala, the teams will travel to Lucknow for the second match on June 17 before the series concludes in Chennai on June 20.
India vs Afghanistan ODI squads
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Darwish Rasooli, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.
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