Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi felt his team failed to post a competitive total in the first ODI against India, which they lost by seven wickets in a rain-affected match in Dharamshala.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 102 off 51 balls and, despite his whirlwind knock, Afghanistan could only muster 194 in their allotted 25 overs. The explosive opener was dismissed in the 16th over and, after losing their set batter, Afghanistan were unable to accelerate during the death overs as they continued to lose wickets in clusters.
“I felt that while Gurbaz was batting, a score of 220 or 230 would have been a good target,” Shahidi said in the post-match presentation ceremony. “However, we lost wickets in quick succession and, after that, we were short by almost 30 runs, I think.”
Shahidi was dismissed while attempting a big shot off debutant Harsh Dubey’s bowling. The Afghanistan captain admitted that he was just as responsible as the other batters for the team falling short with the bat. He also highlighted his side’s lack of discipline with the ball.
“I think Gurbaz played really well, but after that, we made some mistakes. It started with me and then the other batters. That’s why we ended up around 30 runs short.
“(Was there anything you could have done differently with the ball?) To be honest, the wicket was a little flatter as well, but we were not disciplined enough with our bowling either,” Shahidi added.
Afghanistan will look to level the three-match series in the second ODI, which will be played on Wednesday, 17 June.
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