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India vs Afghanistan: How Gautam Gambhir's advice helped Rahmanullah Gurbaz
14 Jun 2026

Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has credited India's head coach Gautam Gambhir for helping him refine his batting approach.

Gurbaz's explosive knock of 102 off just 51 balls, including 8 fours and as many sixes, was the highlight of Afghanistan's innings in the 1st ODI against India at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday.

The innings marked his ninth ODI century but wasn't enough to save Afghanistan from a seven-wicket defeat.

Gurbaz sought Gambhir's advice on improving his shot selection
Strategic shift

After the match, Gurbaz revealed that a conversation with Gambhir after Afghanistan's 300-run defeat in the one-off Test had greatly influenced his preparation.

He specifically sought advice from the Indian coach on improving his batting decisions.

"I worked on those ideas in the nets, and I'm very grateful for the guidance. When the Test match ended, I told him that I wanted to improve my shot selection," said Gurbaz.

Gurbaz backs himself to play freely
Match dynamics

Despite Gurbaz's stellar performance against the Indian attack, Afghanistan struggled to build partnerships around him.

India's debutants, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey, made an immediate impact with six wickets between them.

Brar finished with figures of 3/27 while Dubey took 3/47 as they helped bowl Afghanistan out for 194 in 24.5 overs. The match was reduced to 25 overs due to rain.

Reflecting on his approach, Gurbaz said he just backed himself and played for the team.

'Always nice to do something for your country'
Personal drive

The 24-year-old said representing Afghanistan is his biggest source of motivation, and scoring a century was a reward for his hard work.

"It was nice to contribute. It's always nice to do something for your country and make everyone proud. I trust my training and preparation. I work hard, and this innings is the result of that hard work. I'm very grateful," said Gurbaz.

Despite his efforts, Afghanistan's total wasn't enough as India chased it down with 13 balls remaining.

Gurbaz attains these feats in Dharamsala
Records

Gurbaz now has the second-fastest ODI hundred versus India in terms of balls faced (48).

As per Cricbuzz, the star batter also recorded the fastest ton for Afghanistan in the format (balls faced).

Gurbaz reached another major milestone, becoming only the second Afghan batter after Mohammad Nabi to smash 200 sixes in international cricket.