Lucknow, June 16 (IANS) India will aim to secure the three-match ODI series when they face Afghanistan in the second ODI at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.

The hosts began the series confidently, winning the rain-shortened opener in Dharamsala by seven wickets. Chasing 195 in a 25-over match, India achieved the target with 13 balls to spare after limiting Afghanistan to 194. Debutants Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey stood out with the ball as India’s young attack put in a disciplined performance.

With the series at stake, India might keep experimenting with different combinations as they prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Players like Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal still have a chance to make the playing XI.

On the other hand, Afghanistan must win to keep the series alive before the final ODI on June 20. The visitors need a stronger batting effort after relying too much on Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first match. Their hopes with the ball will again depend on star spinners Rashid Khan and AM Ghazanfar.

A slower surface in Lucknow could provide more help to Afghanistan’s spin attack, making for an exciting matchup as India chases the series and the visitors strive to stay in it.

When: July 17, Wednesday at 1:30 PM IST

Where: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajyapaye Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

Where to watch: The match will be broadcast on Star Sports Network and will be live-streamed on JioStar.

The squads:

India: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav.

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Bilal Sami, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Fareed Ahmad Malik, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.

–IANS

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