However, the post-match proceedings produced a heartwarming moment involving Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy during the press conference.
While addressing the media after the match, Reddy briefly paused the session to take a phone call from his mother. Speaking in Telugu, he assured her he would call back in five minutes before apologising to journalists in the room. The incident, shared by the BCCI on social media, quickly went viral for its emotional and human touch.
On the field, India delivered a dominant performance. After being asked to bowl first, they struck early through debutant Gurnoor Brar, who removed Ibrahim Zadran, while Arshdeep Singh added two quick wickets to leave Afghanistan struggling at 26 for 3.
Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz fought back with a superb century, but was eventually dismissed by Reddy, who finished with impressive figures of 2 for 31 in his four-over spell. Debutants Brar and Harsh Dubey also impressed with three wickets each, bundling Afghanistan out for 194.
In reply, India lost Rohit Sharma early for 16 via a run-out, but skipper Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan steadied the chase with a brisk 70-run stand off 43 balls. Despite quick dismissals of Kishan (34) and Shreyas Iyer (12), India remained in control.
Gill anchored the innings brilliantly with an unbeaten 84 off 66 balls, supported by KL Rahul, who finished not out on a quickfire 39 off 19 deliveries. The pair added an unbroken 53-run stand to guide India home with 13 balls remaining.
With this victory, India lead the three-match ODI series 1-0. The second ODI will be played in Lucknow on June 17.
