Shubman Gill delivered a stunning batting performance as India crushed Afghanistan by 170 runs on Wednesday, securing the three-match ODI series with one game still remaining. This marks Gill’s maiden series triumph as India’s ODI skipper. The captain played a magnificent 154 off just 110 deliveries as the hosts piled up 402 all out after being asked to bat first. Ishan Kishan (125 off 79 balls) also registered an impressive century, combining with Gill in a blistering 224-run partnership off 140 balls. Notably, Gill batted at number three rather than his customary opening slot to make room for Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order. In reply, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh claimed three wickets apiece, helping India bowl Afghanistan out for 232. India Completes 2-0 Series Win Against Afghanistan.
TOSS
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to field.
PLAYING XI
Afghanistan (Playing XI):
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Darwish Rasooli, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Bilal Sami
India (Playing XI):
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav
INDIA
Afghanistan bowled under scorching conditions and drew early blood when Mohammad Saleem, claiming his first-ever ODI wicket, had Yashasvi Jaiswal caught at backward point in just the second over. Gill, however, looked supremely comfortable from the outset. He announced his arrival with an elegant cover drive off AM Ghazanfar, while Rohit Sharma delighted the Lucknow crowd with consecutive front-foot pulls as India raced past fifty by the seventh over.
Kharote’s spell got off to a shaky start with a near-waist-high full toss down leg that Gill dispatched over deep fine leg. Rashid Khan then worked his magic, bamboozling Rohit with a slippery googly to dismiss him for 48 — but that only ignited what followed.
Gill raced to his half-century off 38 balls, clearing the ropes over wide long-on off Kharote. Kishan was measured initially, reaching his fifty off 52 deliveries — his first such milestone since September 2023. Then he completely unleashed. He drove Ghazanfar powerfully along the ground, punished Hashmatullah Shahidi’s off-spin with a sequence of 4, 6, 0 and 4, and then launched Rashid for two maximums and a boundary.
Gill, watching the mayhem from the other end, brought up his century off a mere 77 balls by nudging Bilal Sami through square leg. Within the same over, Kishan struck three consecutive fours to reach his second ODI hundred — his first since that remarkable 210 against Bangladesh back in December 2022. Remarkably, Kishan had needed 52 balls for his opening fifty but just 19 for his second. Gill, too, shifted into a higher gear, threading Saleem through extra cover on two occasions.
India stood at 193 for 2 after 28 overs, and the next eight proved devastating — 114 runs plundered with the scoring rate surging past 8.5 an over. Kishan pulled off two audacious one-handed sixes against Kharote before attempting a third and mistiming it to deep midwicket. The punishing Lucknow heat began affecting the players, with Rashid limping off the field and Gill calling for the physio on several occasions.
Despite his physical discomfort, Gill continued finding boundaries and eventually reached 150 off 109 balls, though Shreyas Iyer found it difficult to maintain the momentum alongside him. Kharote then struck in consecutive deliveries — Gill’s reverse sweep barely reached deep point, and KL Rahul was dismissed for a golden duck, lofting straight to long-on.
Kharote claimed his fourth victim when Shreyas miscued a shot to long-on. Scoring slowed considerably in the closing stages, and India only crossed the 400-mark in the final over. The innings concluded with Prince run out for 5, as Kharote finished with figures of 4 for 76, while Rashid contributed three wickets.
AFGHANISTAN
Gill stayed back in the dressing room for the second innings, with Shreyas taking over as the on-field leader. Gurbaz took on Prince boldly in the second over before launching Arshdeep for a six and a four. Prince appeared set to claim his debut ODI wicket when a sharp bouncer was top-edged towards mid-on, but he had overstepped the crease.
What Prince couldn’t finish, Gurnoor completed — the pacer removed Gurbaz with a back-of-length delivery clocked at 147.7kph, which took the edge through to Rahul. Afghanistan were 62 for 1 at the ten-over mark, with the chase already looking increasingly hopeless. The intent was absent, and dot balls continued to mount.
Arshdeep then bounced out Ibrahim Zadran, with Prince taking a breathtaking running catch coming in from deep fine leg. Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat Shah then joined forces for a 57-run third-wicket stand, though it consumed 60 deliveries. Atal drove Arshdeep on the up through the covers on two occasions and danced down the track against Kuldeep Yadav, but the required rate had already climbed past ten an over.
Washington Sundar trapped Atal lbw, and Afghanistan controversially sent in an injured Rasooli, who had earlier been stretchered off the ground. Visibly struggling, he managed a boundary before hobbling off once more.
Shahidi slashed a four off the opening delivery he faced but had his off-bail clipped second ball by Gurnoor. Rahmat continued to hold his end, eventually reaching his fifty off 52 balls, yet Afghanistan’s innings never gathered any real momentum. Prince flattened Kharote’s off stump for his maiden ODI wicket, while Arshdeep accounted for both Rashid and Ghazanfar.
The Afghan innings dragged on for several more overs, with Rahmat picking up the occasional boundary. It was the Arshdeep–Gurnoor combination that brought the match to a fitting close, with Rahmat becoming the final wicket to fall, caught out at deep fine leg.
BRIEF SCORE
India 402 (Gill 154, Kishan 125, Kharote 4-76, Rashid 3-48) beat Afghanistan 232 (Rahmat 79, Gurbaz 41, Arshdeep 3-45, Gurnoor 3-60) by 170 runs.
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