New Delhi: There may be light rain and thundershowers when India take on Afghanistan in the first ODI of the three-match series at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Saturday.While Shibman Gul’s India begin their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup after a crushing innings and 300-run win over Afghanistan in the one-off Test at Milanpur, all eyes will also be on the weather in the picturesque hill town.The Indian camp will already be without two key players. Virat Kohli has been ruled out with a hamstring injury while Hardik Pandya will miss the entire series with a leg sprain.However, the biggest concern before the start of the series is the weather forecast.
Orange alert, risk of thunder and hail on first ODI in Dharamsala
gave India Meteorological Department Wet conditions are predicted in Himachal Pradesh till June 16. An orange alert was issued for June 12, warning of thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds in many parts of the state. A yellow alert will be in effect from June 13 to June 16, indicating the possibility of rain, thunder and lightning at isolated places.On the day of the match, light rain is expected in Dharamsala with about 55% chance of rain. The temperature is likely to be between 12°C and 18°C.The weather forecast has emerged as a major concern for fans who are eager to see India begin their ODI campaign under Gayle. Any significant rain could affect the competition and force teams to rely on the Duckworth Louis Stern (DLS) method.After the opening ODI in Dharamsala, the teams will travel to Lucknow for the second match on June 17, before the series ends in Chennai on June 20.
India vs Afghanistan ODI squads
India: Rohit Sharma, Shibman Gill (c), Yashvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wt), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arsdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Parsed Krishna, Prince Yadav.Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Garbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Siddiqullah Atul, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rehmat Shah, Ikram Ali Khel (w), Azmatullah Umarzai, Muhammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangialia Kharuti, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Darwish Rasooli, Farid Ahmad Malik, Farid Ahmad Malik.
