Shubman Gill described India’s 1st ODI win against Afghanistan as if it were shaped by the same swings that define a fast T20 spell—an early tilt, a middle-overs pullback, and a death-overs finish. He praised Gurbaz’s century, spoke in detail about a slip catc
Shubman Gill didn’t talk like a player trying to polish a result. He spoke like someone reliving a momentum shift he could feel in every over.
He said the match played out “kind of [like] a T20 game. ” pointing to how India started and then felt Afghanistan “pul[l] the game away from us.” Gill also credited Afghanistan’s batting through the middle and late phases. especially the way Gurbaz carried the innings. “Gurbaz batted brilliantly,” Gill said, calling the century “brilliant.”.
For Gill, the turning point wasn’t just that Afghanistan posted runs—it was how India answered them. He described India’s comeback in the “middle overs and the death overs” as “brilliant. ” and even called the wicket itself a factor as the match wore on. “It was a brilliant wicket to bat on. ” he said. adding that as play progressed there was “a little bit of grip for the spinners.”.
When Gill spoke about Afghanistan’s scoring and the conditions, he didn’t separate his own role from the match’s bigger story. Even while discussing the ball “coming on pretty nicely” for bowlers, he returned to a moment in the field: the slip catch.
“(Talks about the slip catch) … I definitely caught the ball,” Gill said, emphasizing how he prepared for it. He described “practicing a lot. ” taking “a lot of slip catches. ” and said he’d spent time building toward one specific kind of chance. “Even … before the match. I was talking to a friend. ” Gill said. explaining that he hadn’t taken “like a really brilliant catch in my international career so far.” Then he added the detail that made the moment land: it was a “one-handed” catch. and he was “very happy to get that catch.”.
He also addressed a run-out moment by going back to what another player saw after the fact. “(Talking about the run-out) He saw the replay, he said it’s fine,” Gill said. Gill noted that the same person had been run out in the previous Afghanistan series match too. referencing “the last match that we played against Afghanistan. T20s. ” where “he got run out there as well.”.
Gill’s attention also shifted to the debutants in India’s XI. He called their showing “very impressive. ” starting with “the way Gurnoor bowled. ” saying he had “brilliant pace” and that the ball was “swinging.” Gill pointed to Gurnoor’s consistency and said the length was “consistently” there. with the sort of control that steadies a chase or defends a total in one-day cricket.
He also spoke about Harsh. saying that “after I think in the first over. he went for 16-17 runs. ” Harsh “pulled the game back.” Gill’s description was about trust and execution: Harsh “trusted himself” and “kept tossing the ball up. ” a phrase Gill used to underline how sustained effort in overs after an early hit can change the match’s shape.
For Gill, the match came down to a repeatable blueprint—exactly what the team discusses when the day’s emotions fade and the work begins again.
“The middle overs in one-day games is very crucial,” he said. If India can keep “building pressure” during that stretch, he argued, the team can “keep creating opportunities” with the ball. On the batting side. Gill said. the approach has to match the demand of the format: “keep rotating the strike. ” maintain a “healthy run rate” of “6-6.5. ” and avoid losing “too many wickets.” With that foundation. he said. India can “set up the game in the death.”.
As Gill wrapped his thoughts, the thread stayed consistent—preparation for sharp chances, belief in pressure phases, and the sense that even a match that swings like a T20 can be controlled the way an ODI demands.
India vs Afghanistan 1st ODI Shubman Gill Gurbaz century slip catch run-out replay debutants Gurnoor Harsh Afghanistan tour of India 2026