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India vs Afghanistan, 1st ODI: Where to Watch in India Today
If your search history today reads "where to watch India vs Afghanistan," you are in very good company. The first one-day international of the three-match series gets going in Dharamshala on Saturday, 13 June 2026, and the question of which channel and which app to open has shot up the cricket trends in India. The short answer: it is a Star Sports television broadcast, with live streaming on JioHotstar. The longer answer is a lot more fun, because there is a genuine record on the line and an India side that has just been brutal.
Where to watch India vs Afghanistan today
For viewers in India, the 1st ODI is carried on the Star Sports network on TV, and streamed online on the JioHotstar app and website. The toss is at 1 PM IST and the first ball is scheduled for 1:30 PM IST, an afternoon start that suits the gentle Himalayan light at the HPCA ground rather than the usual day-night format.
A few practical notes before you settle in:
- All three ODIs follow the same timing, so the 1 PM toss and 1:30 PM play window holds for the whole series.
- JioHotstar streaming on mobile is the route most fans take, and it carries the match in multiple languages alongside the English feed.
- The Dharamshala venue, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, is one of the most picturesque in world cricket, with the snow-dusted Dhauladhar range behind the stands, so it is worth catching even if the contest is lopsided.
The series in one glance
This Afghanistan tour of India is a compact, well-spaced affair. After a one-off Test, the teams move into a three-match ODI series:
- 1st ODI — Dharamshala, Saturday 13 June
- 2nd ODI — Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, Wednesday 17 June
- 3rd ODI — MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, Saturday 20 June
The spread of venues is deliberate. India get a cool-weather hill ground, then the flatter, slower surface at Lucknow, and finally the spin-friendly Chepauk track in Chennai, which is exactly the kind of pitch Afghanistan's bowlers will fancy. For a young Indian top order being tested before a packed home season, three different conditions in eight days is a useful examination.
Rohit Sharma's record is the real story
Here is the detail driving a lot of the buzz. Rohit Sharma cleared his fitness test after a right hamstring problem that had kept him out of five straight IPL games for Mumbai Indians, and he is set to walk out in Dharamshala at 39 years and 44 days old. That makes him the oldest cricketer to represent India in ODIs in 52 years, going past a mark set by Mohinder Amarnath, who was 39 years and 36 days when he last turned out in the format back in 1989.
It is the sort of statistic that sneaks up on you. Rohit has quietly become the elder statesman of this side, still opening, still hitting sixes, still a calming presence at the top. With Virat Kohli sidelined, his experience matters more than ever, and the symbolism of a near-40 Rohit anchoring a transitioning team is part of why fans are tuning in beyond the result.
India arrive on a high after the Test demolition
Whatever nerves Afghanistan carry into the white-ball leg, they were earned the hard way. In the one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, India won by an enormous innings and 300 runs, one of the most crushing margins in their Test history.
The headline act was a debutant. Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar announced himself with figures of 6/33 in the first innings and seven wickets across the match, the kind of dream start that turns an unknown name into a talking point overnight. Captain Shubman Gill made 126 and KL Rahul added a hundred as India piled up 564/8 before declaring, and Afghanistan never recovered. That result sets the mood music for the ODIs: India are confident, deep in talent, and giving fresh faces a long look.
Kohli out, and what that changes
The biggest team-news item is Virat Kohli's absence. He was ruled out of the series after picking up a hamstring injury during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's run to the IPL 2026 title, and Yashasvi Jaiswal was drafted into the squad in his place. Kohli has long been India's ODI run machine, so even a short break from the format leaves a gap in the middle order and removes a marquee draw for the broadcast.
It also opens a door. Jaiswal pushing into the ODI setup, Gill leading with form behind him, and the likes of Shreyas Iyer in the engine room point to a side already thinking past one series. Hardik Pandya has also been cleared fit, restoring the seam-bowling all-rounder balance that India prize in 50-over cricket. For younger viewers, this is a rare chance to watch the next core take shape rather than the familiar names of the last decade.
Don't sleep on Afghanistan
It would be a mistake to treat this as a procession. Afghanistan are no longer cricket's plucky underdogs; they are a side that has knocked over big teams at World Cups and possess one of the most feared spin attacks in the world. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi leads a group built around Rashid Khan, whose googly remains a nightmare in subcontinental conditions, with Mohammad Nabi's control and the young leg-spin options around him.
The batting carries real punch too. Rahmanullah Gurbaz can take a powerplay apart, Ibrahim Zadran is among the most reliable openers going around, and Azmatullah Omarzai adds muscle and seam in the lower order. On a turning Chennai pitch in the third game especially, Afghanistan will believe they can land a blow. That competitive edge, more than any mismatch, is what makes the series watchable.
Why fans are talking
Put it together and the appeal is obvious. A trending search about where to watch India vs Afghanistan is really shorthand for a cluster of storylines: a 39-year-old Rohit chasing a 52-year-old landmark, a Test thrashing that has India purring, a debutant spinner who just took seven wickets, a Kohli-shaped hole in the lineup, and an Afghan side with the bowling to make life awkward.
For the casual viewer, the plan is simple. Open Star Sports on the television or fire up JioHotstar on your phone, be ready for the 1 PM toss and a 1:30 PM start, and watch one of India's most experienced batters write himself into the record books against opponents who will not roll over. Three matches, three states, eight days, and plenty to argue about in between.
