Indian captain Shubman Gill put on an absolute batting masterclass on June 17, 2026 against the Afghanistan national cricket team. Playing in the second ODI match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow,
Gill smashed his 9th ODI century. This is his very first ODI hundred as the captain of Team India. Gill played an incredibly fast and aggressive game. He and Ishan Kishan took total control of the Afghanistan bowling attack. To fit the returning Yashasvi Jaiswal into the opening slot alongside Rohit Sharma, Gill voluntarily moved down to number three. Jaiswal was dismissed very early in the third over. Gill had to walk out to the crease under high pressure. He steadied the ship perfectly with a solid 87-run partnership with Rohit Sharma.
He reached his 100-run mark in just 77 balls. This is the second-fastest ODI century of his entire international career. After Rohit Sharma fell for a quick 48, Gill teamed up with Ishan Kishan. Together, they completely tore apart the Afghanistan bowling lineup. They pushed India's score to a massive 287/2 in just 34 overs. With this single innings, Gill etched his name deeper into the cricket history books. During this match, Gill became the fastest Indian cricket player to reach 3,000 total runs in ODI history. He completed this mega milestone in just his 62nd innings. He also became the fastest player ever to score 1,000 ODI runs on Indian soil.
CAPTAIN SHUBMAN GILL SHOW AT EKANA. pic.twitter.com/Mxgf2xy0n0
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 17, 2026
Rohit Sharma misses half-century, hits Afghanistan bowler for consecutive sixes
Rohit Sharma missed out on a well-deserved half-century by just two runs today, falling for a quick-fire 48 runs off 39 balls. Despite missing the personal milestone, the Indian opener put on an entertaining show. He electrified the stadium by smashing consecutive sixes right before his dismissal. After a disappointing run-out in the first match, Rohit Sharma looked intent on making a massive impact in the second ODI. He took on the Afghanistan bowling unit right from the start, hitting 6 fours and 2 massive sixes. Just as he neared his fifty, Rohit decided to step up the aggression. He targeted the Afghanistan bowling attack, launching two consecutive sixes into the stands. The quick burst brought the crowd to life and instantly put Afghanistan under immense pressure.
6 6 - Rohit Sharma smashed 2 consecutive sixes against Mohammed Saleem.👊 pic.twitter.com/pux27TYqqd
— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) June 17, 2026
THE DISMISSAL OF ROHIT SHARMA IN SECOND ODI. - Rohit Sharma looked terrific in his knock of 48.🙌 pic.twitter.com/MsaofUf1n2
— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) June 17, 2026
His explosive knock yielded an important 87-run partnership with Shubman Gill. This platform set up a perfect foundation for India's middle order. Just as Rohit looked set to pass his fifty, Afghanistan's star spinner, Rashid Khan, found the breakthrough. Rashid bowled a brilliant, sharp leg-break that gripped off the surface. Rohit tried to play a high-risk cut shot on his backfoot but got fooled by the turn. The ball caught a heavy inside edge off Rohit’s bat and crashed directly into the stumps. Rohit had to walk back to the dugout agonizingly close to his half-century at 48 runs.Even though he missed the fifty, his blazing strike rate of 123.07 helped propel India to a position of absolute dominance early in the game.
