India won the toss and chose to field first against Afghanistan in the opening match of their three-match ODI series after persistent rain reduced the contest to 25 overs per side in Dharamshala on Saturday.

The toss was delayed by more than four hours due to adverse weather conditions before officials confirmed a shortened match.

The series marks the first-ever bilateral ODI series between India and Afghanistan. The second match is scheduled to be played in Lucknow on June 18, while the third and final ODI will take place in Chennai on June 20.

The two sides have previously met only in ICC World Cups and Asia Cups in the 50-over format, with India winning three of their four encounters and the remaining match ending in a tie.

India enter the series after losing three of their last five ODIs, while Afghanistan arrived in strong form, having won their previous four one-day internationals. Earlier this month, India secured an innings-and-300-run victory over Afghanistan in a one-off Test that ended inside three days.

India handed ODI debuts to left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and fast bowler Gurnoor Brar. Veteran opener Rohit Sharma returned to international action, while star batter Virat Kohli was unavailable due to a hamstring injury.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya also missed the match because of injury, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was rested.

With overcast conditions and the possibility of further rain, the pitch was expected to assist pace bowlers and potentially favor the team batting second.

Lineups:

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna