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Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi reflected on his side's defeat against India, noting that the visitors were well placed for a strong total when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was at the crease, but a cluster of wickets derailed their innings against the Men in Blue.
He felt the team lost momentum after a good start and ended up about 30 runs short of what could have been a competitive score. Shahidi also noted that their plan to attack the left-arm spinner didn't fully pay off, and repeated batting mistakes proved costly. Shubman Gill's unbeaten 84, and three-wicket hauls by both the debutants Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey helped India clinch a seven-wicket win over Afghanistan in the first ODI of the three-match series, at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, on Saturday. "It was a tough game. I was feeling that when Gurbaz was playing, I was feeling that if we scored 220, 230, that might be a good target, but we gave some back-to-back wickets, and after that, we were short of almost 30 runs," Shahidi said after the match. "(What was the thinking when you were batting?) I think in my mind, I was trying to target the left-arm spinner because the boundary was also shorter on that side. But I think Gurbaz played really well, but after that, we made some mistakes. It started for me, and then other batsmen. That's why we were like 30 runs short," he added. After bowlers Brar and Dubey combined to bowl Afghanistan out for 194 in 24.5 overs in a rain-shortened 25-overs-per-side contest, India's batters responded with a blend of aggression and composure, chasing down the 195-run target with ease to seal a seven-wicket victory. (ANI)
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