India captain Shubman Gill was pleased with his players’ performance as the Men in Blue defeated Afghanistan in the second ODI in Lucknow by 170 runs. This also meant that India went 2-0 up in the series and pocketed the 3-match series as well.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bowl first in the Lucknow heat. Although Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed early, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma (48) provided a strong foundation by scoring 87 runs for the second wicket. Ishan Kishan walked out to bat at number four after Rashid Khan dismissed Rohit, and Afghanistan saw the full force of modern Indian batting.
For the third wicket, Kishan and Shubman Gill combined for 224 runs. Gill achieved his fifty in 38 deliveries, while Kishan reached his fifty in 52 balls. However, Kishan then broke free, taking just 71 balls to achieve his century.
This was Kishan's second ODI century and first since his incredible 210 against Bangladesh in 2022. But Shubman Gill, the captain of India, was the first to score a century off of just 77 balls in the same over.
Kishan fell for 125 runs with 14 fours and 7 sixes, and Gill made 154 before perishing, and India lost the plot a bit with wickets falling in regular intervals. KL Rahul scored a golden duck, and Shreyas Iyer made 26. In the end, India finished on 402 runs.
In reply, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (41) and Sediqullah Atal (42) gave a good start, while Rahmat Shah made 79 runs with 8 fours. However, the Indian pacers were too good for Afghan batters, as Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar took three wickets, while debutant Prince Yadav took two wickets.
Afghanistan folded for 232 runs in 44.3 overs, and India won by 170 runs, going 2-0 up.
Shubman Gill was a happy captain, as after losing the ODI series to Australia and New Zealand, this was much needed for him. He also led from the front, hitting a sublime 154 runs.
“It was really hot, and I batted for almost 40-45 overs, so my body was getting a lot of cramps in different areas of the body, but it's much better now. Honestly, in a pretty good space. The ball is going exactly where I want it to go, and I'm feeling very confident from the first ball. Even in this match, in the series actually, I had a target for myself: I want to be there; I want to finish the matches and bat till 40-45 overs and build that habit. Whenever I get a start, I want to convert those into big ones,” Shubman Gill said in the post-match presentation.
He was asked whether he was eyeing a double hundred here, and Gill responded in the affirmative.
“Yes, I was, but I knew that I'd have to keep hitting my shots and keep 430, 440, and 450 in mind. Yes, I actually think I middled it (reverse sweep) so well that it went to deep covers,” he added.
Gill was all praise for his fast bowlers for bowling with consistent good pace despite the warm climate in Lucknow.
“I think they're all in a very good space. The way our fast bowlers are bowling in this heat, on these wickets, it's not easy to keep hitting the deck, to keep hitting those areas consistently with that pace. So very happy with that,” he signed off.
The third and final ODI will be played in Chennai on June 20.
