Gill battled intense heat and cramps to produce a masterful 154 off 110 with 22 fours and 2 sices while the increasingly confident Ishan Kishan scored a statement century, 125 off just 79 at a strike rate of 158 with 14 fours and 7 towering sixes
Published: June 17, 2026, 11:19 PM IST
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India’s captain Shubhman Gill celebrates his century during the second ODI match between India and Afghanistan at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Photo: IANS)
Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan went on a rampage together in Lucknow to lay the foundation for India’s massive 170-run victory over Afghanistan to clinch the 3-match ODI series by 2-0 ahead of the concluder on Saturday. The slightly new look Indian side ticked all boxes with a couple of players also impressing on the opportunities given ahead of the important European tour of Ireland and England.
In Virat Kohli’s absence, the Indian team management spoke of trying out new batting combinations, especially at number 3. India did exactly that with Yashasvi Jaiswal replacing Shubman Gill in the opening slot with Rohit Sharma and the skipper taking number 3 instead of Ishan Kishan who batted at 4 in the 2nd ODI.
The experiment has worked and Ishan Kishan has really come out as a contender to bat high in the order. He ran the show today with Shubman Gill to help India post a mammoth total of 402. This was made possible through their 224-run partnership which they stitched together after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal at 48.
Gill battled intense heat and cramps to produce a masterful 154 off 110 with 22 fours and 2 sices while the increasingly confident Ishan Kishan scored a statement century, 125 off just 79 at a strike rate of 158 with 14 fours and 7 towering sixes.
Despite their foundation, India suffered a late batting collapse after KL Rahul got out for a golden duck while Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar scored 26 and 19 respectively. India still managed to crawl their way towards 400 and put Afghanistan under immense pressure.
Afghanistan put up a fighting total of 301 before being bowled out. Top-order batter Rahmat Shah was the sole fighter who led the resistance for Afghanistan with a valiant 88 runs to keep the chase alive. He found the support of Sediqullah Atal who made a steady 42 after Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s 41 and 21.
Rahmat Shah lacked support and the run-rate kept climbing up, forcing errors from Afghan batters. with Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar picking 3 wickets each while debutant Prince Yadav scalped a brace for 56 runs. Washington Sundar also had a wicket to his name.
The Afghans eventually folded for 232 within 44.3 overs to claim an unassailable lead ahead of the final ODI in Chennai.
