AFG vs IND 2026: India Crush Afghanistan by 7 Wickets, Abhishek Sharma Stars in Delhi
India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in Delhi as Abhishek Sharma smashed 82 off 32 balls to take a 1-0 lead
Cricket arrived in India in the early 1700s with British traders, initially a game for elites. The sport soon spread across the country, with communities like the Parsis forming their own clubs. The first documented match in India took place in 1721.
India didn’t have a national cricket team for a long time. A big step was taken in 1928 when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was established. This organisation helped organise cricket in India and set the stage for a national team.
India made its official international cricket debut in 1932, playing a Test match against England at the historic Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Though India lost that match, it was a significant moment that marked the beginning of their journey as a cricketing powerhouse.
There is no doubt that the initial years were challenging, but India slowly gained experience. They achieved their first Test victory in 1952, defeating England. Since then, Indian cricket has witnessed remarkable growth.
India has won the prestigious Cricket World Cup twice, in 1983 under the legendary captaincy of Kapil Dev and in 2011 under MS Dhoni's leadership.
Since then, they failed to make it to the final of the tournament until the 2023 Cricket World Cup, which took place in India. Rohit Sharma-led India won all the league stage matches but lost the final of the tournament against Australia.
| Full Name | India National Cricket Team |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Organisation | Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) |
| Team Owned By | Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) |
| Governing Body | International Cricket Council (ICC) |
| Team Colors | Blue and Orange |
| Nicknames | Men in Blue, Team India |
| Home Ground | Various stadiums across India |
| Test Status | Acquired in 1932 |
| First Test Match | 25 June 1932 vs. England |
| ODI Status | Acquired in 1974 |
| First ODI Match | 13 July 1974 vs. England |
| T20I Status | Acquired in 2006 |
| First T20I Match | 1 December 2006 vs South Africa |
| Major Achievements | 2 ICC Cricket World Cups (1983, 2011), 2 ICC T20 World Cup (2007, 2024), 3 ICC Champions Trophies (2002, 2013, 2025) |
| Grade | Players |
|---|---|
| A+ | Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja |
| A | R Ashwin, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya |
| B | Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| C | Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar |
| Grade | Salary (INR) | Players |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 7 Crores | Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja |
| A | 5 Crores | R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya |
| B | 3 Crores | Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| C | 1 Crore | Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel |
| Player | Instagram Username |
|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | @virat.kohli |
| Rohit Sharma | @rohitsharma45 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | @jaspritb1 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | @royalnavghan |
| R Ashwin | @rashwin99 |
| Mohammed Shami | @mdshami.11 |
| Mohammed Siraj | @mohammedsirajofficial |
| KL Rahul | @rahulkl |
| Shubman Gill | @shubmangill |
| Hardik Pandya | @hardikpandya93 |
| Surya Kumar Yadav | @surya_14kumar |
| Rishabh Pant | @rishabpant |
| Kuldeep Yadav | @kuldeep_18 |
| Axar Patel | @akshar.patel |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | @yashasvijaiswal28 |
| Rinku Singh | @rinkusingh235 |
| Tilak Verma | @tilakverma.official |
| Ruturaj Gaekwad | @ruutu.131 |
| Shardul Thakur | @shardul_thakur |
| Shivam Dube | @dubeshivam |
| Ravi Bishnoi | @bishnoi6476 |
| Jitesh Sharma | @jiteshsharma_ |
| Washington Sundar | @washisundar555 |
| Mukesh Kumar | @mukeshkumar3924 |
| Sanju Samson | @imsanjusamson |
| Arshdeep Singh | @_arshdeep.singh__ |
| KS Bharat | @konasbharat |
| Prasidh Krishna | @skiddyy |
| Avesh Khan | @aavi.khan |
| Rajat Patidar | @rrjjtt_01 |
| Sarfaraz Khan | @sarfarazkhan97 |
| Dhruv Jurel | @dhruvjurel |
| Coach | Tenure |
|---|---|
| PR Man Singh | 1975-1983 |
| Raj Singh Dungarpur | 1984-1985 |
| Bapu Indraji | 1985-1986 |
| Chetan Sharma | 1987-1989 |
| Ajit Wadekar | 1990-1992 |
| Madan Lal | 1992-1996 |
| Sandeep Patil | 1996-1997 |
| Anshuman Gaekwad | 1997-1999 |
| John Wright | 2000-2005 |
| Greg Chappell | 2005-2007 |
| Lalchand Rajput | 2007-2008 |
| Anil Kumble | 2008-2011 |
| Gary Kirsten | 2008-2011 |
| Duncan Fletcher | 2011-2015 |
| Ravi Shastri | 2007, 2014-2021 |
| Rahul Dravid | 2021-2024 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 2024-present |
India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in Delhi as Abhishek Sharma smashed 82 off 32 balls to take a 1-0 lead
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