Lucknow: India rode on magnificent centuries from captain Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan before surviving a late collapse to post a daunting 402/10 in 49.5 overs against Afghanistan in the second ODI here at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
After opting to bat, India endured a cautious start as Afghanistan surprised everyone by opening with off-spinner AM Ghazanfar. Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to break free before falling early, while Rohit Sharma looked fluent in patches, leaving the hosts at 80/1 inside the first powerplay.
Rohit started brilliantly, but was dismissed at 48, just a couple of runs shy of a well-deserved half-century. From there, Gill and Kishan produced a breathtaking counterattack that completely wrested control of the contest. Gill anchored the innings with trademark elegance while Kishan unleashed a barrage of boundaries and sixes, punishing anything short or overpitched as Afghanistan’s attack wilted under relentless pressure.
The duo brought up their century stand before accelerating spectacularly through the middle overs. Gill reached his ninth ODI hundred off just 77 deliveries, continuing his outstanding run of form, while Kishan shifted gears dramatically after a measured fifty, racing to his century in 71 balls. Their third-wicket stand swelled to 224 runs off only 140 deliveries at a run rate of 9.60, becoming the joint second-highest partnership against Afghanistan in ODIs and one of India’s fastest double-century stands.
India also stormed past 300 in just 35.5 overs, the fourth-fastest 300 by a team batting first in ODI history.
Kishan eventually departed for a scintillating 125 off 79 balls, smashing 14 fours and seven sixes, when Nangeyalia Kharoti induced a mistimed pull to deep midwicket. Gill, however, continued to dominate, bringing up his 150 in only 108 deliveries before reaching 154 from 110 balls, an innings studded with 22 fours and two sixes. His knock also made him the fastest Indian to 3,000 ODI runs in terms of innings.
Shreyas Iyer ensured the scoring rate never dipped, striking a brisk 26 off 24 deliveries, while Washington Sundar and the lower order looked to provide the finishing flourish as India appeared set to comfortably breach the 420-run mark.
Afghanistan, however, mounted an impressive comeback in the closing overs. Left-arm spinner Kharoti dismissed both Gill and Iyer, finishing with impressive figures of 4/76 and triggering a collapse as India’s lower order perished in search of quick runs. Rashid Khan and AM Ghazanfar also tightened the screws after enduring a difficult middle phase, ensuring India lost their final seven wickets for just 80 runs.
Despite the late wobble, India’s batting dominance throughout the first 40 overs had already laid the foundation for a formidable total. Gill’s captain’s masterclass and Kishan’s explosive strokeplay powered the hosts beyond the 400-run mark before they were eventually bowled out for 402 with one ball remaining in the innings.
Brief Scores: India 402/10 in 49.5 overs (Shubman Gill 154, Ishan Kishan 125; Nangeyalia Kharoti 4-76, Rashid Khan 3-48) against Afghanistan.
(IANS)
