India’s captain Shubman Gill, right, celebrates his century as India’s Ishan Kishan looks on during the second ODI cricket match between India and Afghanistan in Lucknow, on June 17, 2026.
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India came out largely unscathed from the cauldron that the Ekana Cricket Stadium was on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) as it beat Afghanistan by 170 runs in the second ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Also read | IND vs AFG, 2nd ODI:Afghanistan needs a collective effort to surprise India
As afternoon temperatures soared into the high 30s, players baked in the largely airless arena. With just 13,300 fans turning up at the 50,000-seater, there was also a severe lack of energy.
But India, guided by splendid centuries from captain Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, mastered the elements, racking up a mammoth 402 after being asked to bat first. Afghanistan, in reply, was bowled out for 232, with Darwish Rasooli retired hurt.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal got starts, scoring 41 and 42, respectively. Rahmat Shah made 79 (89b, 8×4). However, seldom did they display the necessary urgency. It also did not help that Afghanistan missed Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai because of injuries.
For the host, Prince Yadav made his debut while Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal got opportunities. Out went Harsh Dubey, Prasidh Krishna, and an injured Nitish Kumar, leaving the side with just five specialist bowlers.
But Gill and Kishan did the heavy-lifting by batting admirably under the unrelenting, energy-sapping sun, combining for a massive, match-defining 224-run partnership for the third wicket.
Gill conjured his ninth ODI century (154, 110b, 22×4, 2×6) while Kishan notched up his second (125, 79b, 14×4, 7×6), more than three-and-a-half years after his first (210 versus Bangladesh at Chattogram).
The skipper oozed class, as always, and was particularly impressive with his driving. Kishan stood out for his acceleration and six hitting. When the latter walked in, Gill was already on 42 from 31 balls. That both batters crossed 100 in the same over — 33rd of the innings — told the story.
Kishan reached his half-century off 52 balls but accumulated the next 50 runs from just 19 deliveries. He appeared unstoppable even after going past the treasured milestone, clubbing left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote (four for 76) for back-to-back one-handed sixes. A third attempt, however, led to his downfall.
The scoring rate dipped after Kishan’s dismissal, with Shreyas Iyer (26, 24b, 1×4, 1×6) and Washington Sundar (19, 19b, 1×4) unable to kick on.
After having got to 300 in 35.5 overs, India seemed set to breach its record ODI total of 418 for five (against West Indies in Indore in 2011). But it took until the last over of the innings to touch 400.
In the end, though, the late-innings tardiness — rather lethargy — did not matter, for Afghanistan’s hopes had long evaporated into thin air.
Published – June 17, 2026 01:25 pm IST
