Table of Contents
The India National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team rivalry highlights a fascinating contrast between a global powerhouse and a rapidly rising side. Since Afghanistan’s entry into full international cricket, matches have featured India’s experience and depth against Afghanistan’s fearless batting and sharp spin bowling. Stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi have produced memorable moments, making every encounter a showcase of skill, aggression, and the evolving landscape of modern cricket.
Head-to-Head Summary across Formats
| Format | Matches Played | India Won | Afghanistan Won | Tied / No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| ODI | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| T20I | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 18 | 15 | 0 | 3 |
The Debut Encounters
- First T20I (May 1, 2010): Afghanistan made their major ICC tournament debut against India during the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in Saint Lucia. Ashish Nehra’s 3-wicket haul restricted Afghanistan to 115/8, allowing India to effortlessly chase down the target by 7 wickets.
- First ODI (March 5, 2014): Meeting for the first time in 50-over cricket at the 2014 Asia Cup in Bangladesh, Ravindra Jadeja starred with 4/30. India easily cruised to an 8-wicket victory.
- Historic Test Debut (June 14-15, 2018): Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium hosted Afghanistan’s inaugural Test match. Opening batter Shikhar Dhawan slammed a blistering century (107) before the Indian bowling attack dismantled Afghanistan twice in one day, winning by an innings and 262 runs.
Iconic Matches & Turning Points
- The Dramatic Tie (2018 Asia Cup): Mohammad Shahzad blasted a brilliant 124 to help Afghanistan post 252. In a chaotic final over, India was bowled out for exactly 252, resulting in an unforgettable tie.
- The 2019 World Cup Scare: In Southampton, Afghanistan’s spinners choked India’s world-class batting lineup down to a modest 224/8. Mohammad Nabi fought valiantly with a 52-run knock, but a late hat-trick by Mohammed Shami saved India, securing a narrow 11-run win.
- The Double Super-Over (January 2024): After both teams finished locked at 212 runs in Bengaluru, a single Super Over could not separate them. Rohit Sharma’s tactical brilliance in the second consecutive Super Over finally pushed India past the finish line.
- T20 World Cup Dominance (June 2024): Suryakumar Yadav’s quickfire 53 lifted India to 181 at Bridgetown before Jasprit Bumrah’s clinical spell suffocated the Afghan chase, routing them by 47 runs.
Latest Encounters (June 2026 Bilateral Tour)
Afghanistan traveled to India for their first-ever full bilateral series, spanning an isolated Test match and three ODIs. A new-look Indian team captained by Shubman Gill swept the visitors across both formats.
- One-off Test (June 6-8, 2026): Played in New Chandigarh, India recorded its biggest-ever Test win. Shubman Gill (126) and KL Rahul (100) spearheaded a monstrous first-innings total of 564/8d. On debut, Indian left-arm spinner Manav Suthar turned the match on its head, taking a stunning 6-wicket haul in the first innings to wrap up an innings-and-300-run triumph.
- 1st ODI (June 13, 2026): At a rain-curtailed fixture in Dharamshala, domestic pace debutant Gurnoor Brar rocked Afghanistan’s top order. Chasing 194, Shubman Gill anchored the team with a composed half-century to seal a 7-wicket victory.
- 2nd ODI (June 17, 2026): India’s batting power was on full display in Lucknow as they stockpiled a massive 402 runs, highlighted by a roaring 154 from Shubman Gill and an explosive 125 from Ishan Kishan. Afghanistan collapsed for 232 under scoreboard pressure, losing by 170 runs.
- 3rd ODI (June 20, 2026): In Chennai, Prasidh Krishna tore through the opposition lineup with a stellar 5/23 to bowl Afghanistan out for 218. Yashasvi Jaiswal then smashed a fast-paced 110 off 86 balls as India tracked down the score in just 28.4 overs, finishing the 3-0 series sweep.
Individual Career Statistics: India vs. Afghanistan
Rohit Sharma Batting Records
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s / 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODIs | 5 | 4 | 230 | 131 | 76.66 | 116.16 | 1 / 1 |
| T20Is | 5 | 5 | 196 | 121* | 49.00 | 154.33 | 1 / 0 |
Rashid Khan Bowling Records
| Format | Matches | Innings | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2/154 | 77.00 | 4.52 | 102.0 |
| ODIs | 8 | 8 | 6 | 2/41 | 45.83 | 5.12 | 53.6 |
| T20Is | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2/22 | 41.25 | 7.85 | 31.5 |
Complete Squad Lists: June 2026 Bilateral Series
| Specialisation | India Squad | Afghanistan Squad |
|---|---|---|
| Captains | Shubman Gill | Hashmatullah Shahidi |
| Wicketkeepers | Ishan Kishan KL Rahul | Rahmanullah Gurbaz Ikram Alikhil |
| Batters | Rohit Sharma Yashasvi Jaiswal Shreyas Iyer | Ibrahim Zadran Rahmat Shah Sediqullah Atal Darwish Abdul Rasooli |
| All-rounders | Washington Sundar Nitish Kumar Reddy | Mohammad Nabi Azmatullah Omarzai Nangeyalia Kharote |
| Spinners | Kuldeep Yadav Manav Suthar Harsh Dubey | Rashid Khan Allah Ghazanfar Qais Ahmad Ziaur Rahman |
| Fast Bowlers | Arshdeep Singh Prasidh Krishna Gurnoor Brar Prince Yadav | Fareed Ahmad Bilal Sami Mohammad Saleem Bashir Ahmad |
The Ultimate Intensity: Best Matches & Heated Moments
| Incident / Match | What Happened on the Ground | The Intensity & Drama Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| The Spirit of Cricket War (Bengaluru, Jan 2024) | Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson threw the ball, which deflected off batsman Mohammad Nabi’s leg. Nabi used the deflection to sneak two controversial overthrows. | Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli erupted. Rohit engaged in a furious, prolonged argument with Nabi regarding the “spirit of the game”. Kohli furiously gestured from long-on that running off a physical deflection was unacceptable. |
| The Great Mango Feud (IPL & World Cup, 2023) | During an IPL game, Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq clashed verbally with Virat Kohli, mockingly pointing to his shoe spikes. Naveen then posted cryptic “sweet mangoes” Instagram stories whenever Kohli got out. | Stadiums across India transformed into a sea of noise. Every single time Naveen walked out to bowl anywhere in India, entire crowds boomed with deafening “Kohli! Kohli!” chants. The feud finally ended with an emotional mid-pitch hug during the 2023 World Cup. |
| The Historic Double Super Over (Bengaluru, Jan 2024) | Both teams finished tied at 212 runs. Unbelievably, the first subsequent Super Over also resulted in an exact tie. | Pure tactical chaos ensued. Rohit Sharma strategically retired himself out at the last ball of the first Super Over to bring in a faster runner. He then controversially walked right back out to bat in the second Super Over, leading India to victory. |
| The World Cup Squeeze (Southampton, June 2019) | Afghanistan’s spinners choked India to an unbelievably low 224/8. Afghanistan looked on the verge of a historic, colossal upset during the final over. | The ultimate pressure cooker. Indian bowler Mohammed Shami was put under immense strain but handled it by taking a jaw-dropping last-over hat-trick to save India from humiliation, winning by a tiny margin of 11 runs. |
| The Asia Cup Heartbreak (Dubai, Sep 2018) | Chasing 253, India’s lower order collapsed. With 1 run needed off 2 balls, Rashid Khan was bowling to India’s Ravindra Jadeja. | Heart-stopping final-ball theater. Jadeja mistimed a pull shot directly into the hands of deep midwicket, sealing a chaotic tie. The Afghan players dropped to their knees in tears celebrating the heroic result. |
| The Debut Collision (Dharamshala, June 2026) | Indian debutant pace bowler Gurnoor Brar threw down fiery, aggressive bouncers to rock Afghanistan’s top order. | Rookie hostility. The Afghan top order was caught entirely off guard by the raw pace, leading to high-octane glares and verbal chirps between the young bowler and the Afghan batsmen. |
Dynamic Player-to-Player Sledging Battles
| Sledger | Target | Famous Exchange / Context |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | Naveen-ul-Haq | Kohli aggressively stared down Naveen after a heated exchange, showing him the dirt under his shoes to signify his status. Naveen hit back by giving an aggressive shoulder shove during post-game handshakes. |
| Asghar Afghan | Rohit Sharma | During a high-stress Asia Cup match, former skipper Asghar Afghan repeatedly walked into Rohit Sharma’s running path, passing sharp remarks to throw the Indian opener completely off his concentration. |
| Rashid Khan | Indian Top Order | Rashid routinely sledges Indian batters with sarcastic smiles and loud “Catch it!” shouts the second the ball leaves the bat, explicitly challenging them to try and smash him out of the park. |
| Mohammad Nabi | Rohit Sharma | During the 2024 Super Over shouting match, Nabi bluntly yelled back at Rohit that he was entirely within the formal laws of cricket, telling the Indian captain to stop complaining and focus on the game. |
The First Super Over
Afghanistan batted first in the initial tie-breaker after both teams scored exactly 212 runs in the main match.
| Team / Batter | Bowler | Runs / Events | Tactical Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan (Gulbadin Naib & Rahmanullah Gurbaz) | Mukesh Kumar (IND) | 16 Runs (1, 1Wb, 4, 1, 6, 1W, 2) | Mukesh missed his yorker length twice, allowing Mohammad Nabi to smash a massive six. The over ended with a controversial moment as Nabi ran 3 extra runs after the ball deflected off his legs, sparking a furious argument with Rohit Sharma. |
| India (Rohit Sharma & Yashasvi Jaiswal) | Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG) | 16 Runs (1, 1, 6, 6, Ret., 1, 1) | Rohit Sharma kept India alive by smashing two consecutive sixes. With 2 runs needed off the final ball, Rohit tactically retired himself out to bring in Rinku Singh, a faster runner. Jaiswal could only manage a single, forcing a second Super Over. |
The Second Super Over
According to ICC rules, the team batting second in the first Super Over must bat first in the second, and the batsmen who got out cannot bat again.
| Team / Batter | Bowler | Runs / Events | Tactical Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| India (Rohit Sharma & Rinku Singh) | Fareed Ahmad (AFG) | 11 Runs (6, 4, 1W, W) | Rohit Sharma controversially walked back out to bat (as he was technically ‘retired out’ and not dismissed). He started with a six and a four. However, Fareed Ahmad bowled a brilliant slower ball to get Rinku caught behind, and Rohit was run out on the final ball. |
| Afghanistan (Rahmanullah Gurbaz & Mohammad Nabi) | Ravi Bishnoi (IND) | 1 Run (W, 1, W) | The Masterstroke: Rohit Sharma subverted expectations by giving the ball to leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi instead of a fast bowler. Bishnoi struck on his very first ball, getting Nabi caught at long-on. Two balls later, Gurbaz holed out to long-off, wrapping up a historic Indian victory. |
