India crushed Afghanistan by 170 runs to seal the ODI series 2-0. Powered by centuries from Shubman Gill (154) and Ishan Kishan (125), India posted 402. Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar took three wickets each as Afghanistan were all out for 232.
India defeated Afghanistan by 170 runs in the second ODI held at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing three-match bilateral series.
Afghanistan's Chase
Chasing a big target of 403 runs, Afghanistan openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmatullah Gurbaz added a quick 52 runs for the first wicket. Playing just his second ODI match, Gurnoor Brar provided the first breakthrough to India and dismissed Gurbaz in the eighth over. The swashbuckling opener made 41 runs off 33 balls with the help of seven fours and a six. Earlier, it was the debutant Prince Yadav, who had dismissed Gurbaz, but the delivery was called a No-Ball by the third umpire, which delayed Yadav's first wicket in international cricket.
Zadran was the next to depart when Arshdep Singh got him caught out by Prince. Zadran made 21 off 31 balls. Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat Shah added 57 runs for the third wicket before Washington Sundar broke their partnership. Atal made a promising 42 off 50 balls. Darwish Rasooli came next to bat but was forced to retire hurt after experiencing some cramps. Earlier, he encountered some cramps while fielding and had to be sent out of the field on a stretcher. Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi started with a boundary, but Brar bowled him on the very next delivery to send him back to the pavilion. Prince got his maiden international wicket in the 31st over when he dismissed Nangeyalia Kharote. Rashid Khan contributed 12 runs before Arshdeep dismissed him. Rahmat Shah kept fighting from one end and delayed the win of the Men in Blue. He made 79 runs off 89 balls and made a few small partnerships with the tailenders, but Prince Yadav got his wicket in the 45th over to bundle them out for 232 runs.
India won the match by 170 runs. Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar shared three wickets each, whereas Prince got a couple of wickets. Sundar also got one wicket in the match.
Gill, Kishan Centuries Power India to 402
Earlier, it was all about Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, who scored big centuries which helped India post a 400-plus total on the board. Asked to bat first, the Men in Blue started with Yashasvi Jaiswal and veteran Rohit Sharma. Mohammad Saleem Safi got the first breakthrough of the match when he dismissed Jaiswal in his first over. Gill joined Sharma at the crease after that, and the former skipper shifted his batting gears. He hit six fours and a couple of sixes before missing out on a well-deserved half-century as Rashid Khan bowled him at the score of 48 runs.
The Gill-Kishan Show: A 224-run Partnership
Kishan came to bat at number four and kept the scorecard moving with his big shots. Gill reached his fifty with a six off Nangeyalia Kharote in the 17th over. He went on to a couple of fours in the next over of Safi. Then Kishan shifted gears and Safi for a six, Hashmatullah Shahidi for a boundary and three boundaries in Bilal Sami's next over. Kishan completed his half-century with a boundary off Shahidi in the 28th over. Gill kept finding rotating strikes from one end and went into the 90s. Kishan kept going big from the other end and joined him. Bilal Sami came to bowl the 33rd over, and with a boundary on the first delivery, Gill completed his 9th ODI century. This was his first ODI hundred after taking charge as ODI skipper. Kishan hit the hat-trick of boundaries in the last three deliveries of Sami's over to complete his century as well. It was his second ODI century. After completing his fifty in 52 balls, he scored the next 53 runs off just 19 balls. The duo kept finding boundaries at regular intervals and added 224 runs for the third wicket before Kharote broke the partnership in the 37th over.
India's Finish
Kishan made 125 off just 79 balls with the help of 14 fours and seven sixes. Shreyas Iyer came next and added 40 runs for the fourth wicket with the captain Gill. Gill crossed the 150-run mark with a single off Allah Ghazanfar in the 42nd over. Gill lost his wicket while trying for a big shot against Kharote in the 43rd over. He made 154 off 110 balls with the help of 22 fours and a couple of sixes. KL Rahul couldn't stay long and went back after a golden duck. Iyer contributed with 26 off 24 balls with the help of a six and a four, but gave his wicket to Kharote. Sundar helped India cross the 400-run mark with his valuable 19 runs with the tailenders as India lost all of their wickets in 49.5 overs and set a 403-run target for the visitors.
India will now face Afghanistan in the third and final ODI match of the series in Chennai's MA Chidambaram on Saturday. (ANI)
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