Since the last Men’s ODI World Cup in 2023, only New Zealand and India have had a better win percentage than Afghanistan in the format. The underrated Asian team, who were just one catch away from possibly entering the semi-final of the marquee tournament, now begin their march towards preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, the side now doesn’t have the pedigree of Jonathan Trott, who proved to be an excellent coach for them.
Fascinatingly, Afghanistan are yet to play an ODI this year. They start the next cycle’s preparations with a three-match bilateral against India. Yes, the hosts are heavy favourites, but Afghanistan cannot be taken lightly.
The strong core put up by the arrival of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Azamtullah Omarzai can create massive troubles for the Shubman Gill-led side. If the Afghani bowlers can somehow create some magic, they can be a handful for India. Now, before the first ODI starts in Dharamsala on June 13, we make some predictions on how Afghanistan could line up in the upcoming fixture.
Predicted Afghanistan Playing XI vs IND, 1st ODI
S. No. Player NameRole1Rahmanullah Gurbaz Wicket-keeper2Ibrahim Zadran Batter3Sediqullah Atal Batter 4Rahmat Shah Batter5Hashmatullah Shahidi Captain/Batter6Azamtullah Omarzai Pace All-rounder7Mohammad Nabi Spin All-rounder8Rashid Khan Spin All-rounder9Allah Ghazanfar/Zia Ur RahmanSpinner/Pacer10Saleem Safi Pacer11Bilal SafiPacerOn Bench: Ikram Alikhil, Fareed Malik, Allah Ghazanfar/Zia Ur Rahman, Kharote, Darwish RasooliOpeners: Gurbaz-Zadran partnership
The opening stand remains the same for Afghanistan. Both Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz have an incredible understanding of each other. They have opened for the side across all the major tournaments.
While Zadran is a technically sound batter, who anchors superbly, Gurbaz is a dasher. He also adds as a wicketkeeper, who is quick with his hands. In the one-off Test match, we saw how badly Afghanistan missed Gurbaz behind the stumps as they took horrible DRS decisions across the two innings.
In recent times, Gurbaz hasn’t been great in 50-over format. He averaged less than 20 last year in ODIs, and would want to gain form as quickly as possible. Meanwhile Zadran is a tailor-made ODI player and has five 50+ scores in his last seven List-A innings, including the iconic 177-run innings against England at the ODI Champions Trophy last year.
At number three would be Sediqullah Atal, who even played the recent Test match. He bats in the top order and made his name by being an aggressor up top. He has had a decent start to his ODI career, having made 377 runs in 11 innings, including a century. Atal plays best when he attacks, a part of his game that has gone missing in the international setup.
Strong middle-order: Rahmat Shah and captain Shahidi
Now, at four and five, Afghanistan would have their rock-solid batters in Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi. Both are technically adept and can frustrate any bowling lineup with their dogged character. However, while Shah has been incredible with his form, the Afghani captain has found it hard in the format.
Rahmat Shah was his side’s best batter in the Test match. In this format, he scored 165 runs at an average of 41.25 at a decent strike rate of 80.88. He can play almost at run-a-ball and is a great rotator of the strike. In Shahidi’s case, however, he lacks run-scoring ability. While he can defend, the southpaw doesn’t always play at a number five’s pace. Last year, in six ODI innings, Shahidi’s SR was a mere 52.65. These numbers can put your own side on the backfoot big time.
All-rounders galore: Omarzai, Nabi and Rashid
Here comes the strongest suit for Afghanistan – their all-rounders. Azamtullah Omarzai will be the key, as his role will be superb going into the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in 2027, which will be played in South Africa. He is a terrific pace-bowling all-rounder, and conditions in South Africa will definitely suit him. Before that, in Dharamsala, as well, he could create trouble with his innate ability to swing the ball both ways.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Nabi just doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Last year, he struck at an insane rate of 123.07 with the bat. Omarzai was averaging over 30 and at an SR close to 99. He did this while getting the most wickets (14) for Afghanistan in the format in 2025. Omarzai is truly a gem of an all-rounder. Talking about gems, there’s obviously Rashid Khan, who possesses a huge star power.
After an ordinary IPL 2025, he was influential this year, as his side, the Gujarat Titans (GT), reached the final. Although he can whack some blows with the bat, Rashid will dictate the middle overs for Afghanistan. He took 21 wickets at IPL 2026. In his last ODI assignment, he ended up being a tormentor, having taken 11 wickets across three games against Bangladesh. As a matter of fact, Rashid knows how to dominate proceedings in India. He is just a wicket shy of completing 100 scalps in India!
Predicted Afghanistan Playing XI vs India, 1st ODI: Rashid Khan, Nabi and Omarzai form strong core Inside Sport India.
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