• Source:JND

India vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI Match: India's top-order batters Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan lit up the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday with blazing centuries against Afghanistan, helping the hosts recover from an early setback and take complete control of the contest.

The two batters stitched together a match-defining partnership of 224 runs after India lost two wickets in quick succession. With the innings in danger of losing momentum, Gill and Kishan took charge, attacking the Afghan bowlers from the outset and putting India in a commanding position.

For Gill, the century was a timely response after he missed out on a hundred in the previous ODI in Dharamsala. The Indian ODI captain made sure he did not let the opportunity slip this time, reaching the three-figure mark in style. Gill was dismissed on 154 in 110 balls, smashing 22 fours and 2 sixes, while Kishan scored a scintillating 125 off 79 balls with 14 fours and 7 sixes.

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Gill completed his ninth ODI century with a boundary off the first ball of the 33rd over. He brought up the milestone in just 77 balls, registering the fifth-fastest ODI hundred by an Indian batter. The knock also made him the fastest player to score a century against Afghanistan in the format.

During the innings, Gill also surpassed a record held by Virat Kohli. He became the fastest Indian batter to complete 1,000 ODI runs on home soil, achieving the feat in just 19 innings. Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan had both reached the landmark in 24 innings.

Ishan Kishan Destroys Afghanistan:

At the other end, Ishan Kishan was equally destructive. The wicketkeeper-batter punished the Afghan attack all around the ground and raced to his second ODI century in only 71 balls, making it one of the fastest hundreds against Afghanistan in ODI cricket. The century marked a memorable return for Kishan, who was playing an ODI series for India after a long gap of 3 years.

Kishan's hundred also earned him a place in an elite Indian list featuring former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. While the left-hander is still in the early stages of his international career, the innings once again highlighted his ability to change the course of a match with aggressive strokeplay.

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