India Crush Afghanistan by 170 Runs in Second ODI Powered by Gill and Kishan Centuries

India delivered a dominant performance in the second One-Day International (ODI) against Afghanistan on Wednesday, winning by 170 runs at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Afghanistan faced a relentless Indian batting assault that set a colossal target of 402 runs.

The Indian innings was anchored by captain Shubman Gill, who struck a magnificent 154 off 22 fours and 2 sixes, and wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who smashed 125 runs featuring 14 fours and 7 sixes. Despite the early dismissal of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for just 4 runs, Gill and Kishan stitched a massive partnership to put India in command. Rohit Sharma contributed 48 runs, Shreyas Iyer added 26, and Washington Sundar chipped in with 19, while KL Rahul departed without scoring.

Afghanistan's bowling attack struggled to contain the onslaught. Nangeyalia Kharote was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 4 wickets, while Rashid Khan took 3. AM Ghazanfar and Mohammad Salim Safi each picked up one wicket. Chasing 402, Afghanistan's batsmen never found their rhythm. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 41, but most of the top order failed to convert starts into significant scores. Rahmat Shah top-scored with a fighting 79, but the team was bowled out for 232 in 44.3 overs.

India's bowling unit was equally impressive, with Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar each taking 3 wickets. Prince Yadav claimed 2, and Washington Sundar chipped in with one wicket. Shubman Gill was named Player of the Match for his all-round leadership with the bat.