Prince Yadav made his ODI debut for India on Wednesday in Lucknow, joining a side that entered the second one-day international against Afghanistan with a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. India had opened the series with a rain-shortened seven-wicket win in Dharamsala, and the lineup changed again with a new medium pacer in the XI.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bowl, setting India to bat first in the second match. Shubman Gill’s side included Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav.
Prince Yadav joins India XI
The debut gave India another seam option in a match played under different conditions from the opener. Kuldeep Yadav also came into the team, while Yashasvi Jaiswal was expected to open with Rohit Sharma and Gill was expected to move to No. 3.
That shape left India with a familiar top order but one fresh face in the pace attack. Prince Yadav’s first ODI cap came in a series situation that already favored India after the win in Dharamsala, and the second match offered a chance to press that lead before the teams moved on.
Afghanistan chooses to bowl
Shahidi’s toss call put the pressure on India’s batting group to set the pace from the start. Afghanistan responded with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darwish Rasooli, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Bilal Sami.
With the series score at 1-0 and the first match already shortened by rain, the second ODI carried the weight of the opening result. Chennai was scheduled to host the third ODI on Saturday, leaving the Lucknow match as the middle point of the series and the first look at Prince Yadav in India colors.
