India vs Afghanistan Prediction: Gill to deliver in Dharamsala

India play their first ODI since a 2‑1 series defeat to New Zealand in January when they face Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday (9am BST, live on TNT Sports 5). Shubman Gill's side start as heavy favourites after a dominant innings‑and‑300‑run victory in the one‑off Test earlier this month.

Read on for my India vs Afghanistan predictions, complete with the latest odds and team news.

India vs Afghanistan Odds

India are 1/8 to win at home, where they have won 26 and lost only five of their bilateral series since 2010.

Afghanistan are 5/1 to claim their first-ever ODI win against the Men in Blue.

It’s 4/7 for India to post the highest opening partnership and 4/5 for the hosts to score five or more runs in the first over.

Team News

Virat Kohli misses out for India after suffering a hamstring injury in the IPL final a fortnight ago.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was called up as his replacement and either he or Ishan Kishan look set to bat at three after openers Rohit Sharma and Gill.

KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer complete the middle order line-up, with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy set to balance the side in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who has a quad strain.

Left-armer Arshdeep Singh spearheads India’s pace department with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar as the spin options.

As for Afghanistan, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi missed the team's last practice session in Mohali but should be fit to play

Mohammad Saleem may have bowled himself into the ODI side after an impressive Test match performance in New Chandigardh, where he claimed 6-140 in the one-off Test against India.

Afghanistan's fragile batting hinges on the opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, who are both capable of long innings.

Shubman Gill to score over 39.5 runs @ 5/6

Gill enters this series in sublime touch. He made 126 in the Test match - his second century in two weeks - and his ODI record in India is exceptional. The India captain averages over 60 in home ODIs and has passed 40 in eight of his last 11 innings on home soil.

Dharamsala’s true bounce suits his timing‑based game and, with Rohit alongside him, Gill should have the platform to build another substantial score.

Afghanistan’s seamers are unlikely to trouble him early and, while Rashid Khan is a threat, Gill has handled him well in the past.

This line looks very achievable for a player in elite form.

Top Away Team Bowler - Rashid Khan @ 14/5

Rashid remains Afghanistan's biggest weapon in this format. His ODI record is world‑class and he has dismissed India's top order multiple times across formats.

Even though India play spin well, Rashid's quicker googly continues to trouble the best batters.

Dharamsala often grips in the afternoon and India are likely to attack him to avoid being tied down - which creates wicket‑taking opportunities. Rashid has taken 25 wickets in his last 10 ODIs, including 11 in his last three.

With Afghanistan's seamers unlikely to outshine him, Rashid is the standout candidate to top their wicket-taking chart.

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