Ind Vs Afg Shubman Gill Hits First Odi Century As Captain Lucknow
Indian Express
Shubman Gill continued his prolific scoring form as he recorded his maiden ODI century as captain in the second match against Afghanistan at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday. Batting out of his usual position as opener to accomodate the returning Yash
asvi Jaiswal at the top of the order, Gill turned to the No. 3 slot. After Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bowl, Gill walked in during the third over after Jaiswal fell early to Mohammed Saleem on four off deliveries.
Continuing his flawless run from the previous ODI where he struck an unbeaten 84 during a 195-run chase in Dharamsala, Gill steered the innings with a 87-run stand for the second wicket with Rohit Sharma. While Rohit missed out on his half-century, Gill doubled his scoring rates and cruised to his century in only 77 deliveries, an innings laced with 12 fours and two sixes.
The century marked Gill’s ninth ODI century in only 63 innings, putting him level with former India skipper MS Dhoni among all Indian batters in the format. Gill’s near-59 average is the highest among all Indian men in the format.
In the previous innings, Gill romped past 3000 ODI runs in only 62 innings, making him the second-fastest batter ever to reach the landmark behind South Africa’s Hashim Amla (57 innings). Gill bettered the previous Indian record held by Shikhar Dhawan by 10 innings.
The 26-year-old Gill, who took over as captain, has only played eight matches as skipper in the 50-over format. Since taking over as Test captain in June 2026, Gill has been on a phenomenal run in the longest format, plundering 1076 runs in 15 innings at 82.76 with six centuries and a fifty.
Braving the sapping Lucknow heat, India continued to pile on the runs, with number 4 Ishan Kishan also joining with a quick-fire half-century in 51 deliveries.
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