First ODI: The toss for the opening ODI between India and Afghanistan at the HPCA Stadium will be held at 5:15 pm after a nearly four‑hour rain delay, with the match set to begin at 5:45 pm as a 25‑overs‑a‑side contest.
The game being truncated due to heavy rain has meant that each team is likely to have five bowlers delivering a maximum of five overs each, while the batting powerplay will last five overs. Players were seen warming up as conditions improved, bringing relief to spectators after hours of uncertainty about the game being washed out due to rain.
The buildup to the match had been dominated by downpours, with Dharamsala witnessing rain over the past two days and again on the eve of the game. With the cut-off time for a 20-over game being 6:32 pm, the eventual start hinged on the drainage capacity of the ground, which has managed to drain out water thanks to an army of super soppers running across the ground, and the conditions brightening due to rain stopping.
