India’ Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill is taking great fun in toying around with the Afghanistan bowlers on Afghanistan’s ongoing tour of India.
After rattling off 126 in the one-off Test match in Mullanpur and a match-winning 84* in the truncated 1st ODI in Dharamsala, Gill creamed a blazing century in the IND vs AFG 2nd ODI in Lucknow on Wednesday. And that he did it from a different batting position reflected his adaptability.
Gill had demoted himself to No. 3 today. This is because India had to bring in Yashasvi Jaiswal in the side after all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the game owing to a sore left thigh.
The hosts also tinkered with the bowling personnel: Prasidh Krishna and Harsh Dubey were left out, and in came Kuldeep Yadav and the uncapped Prince Yadav.
With the team balance short on a bowling option, India knew they had to post a total well beyond par in the first innings.
Although Jaiswal got out in the second over, Gill and Rohit Sharma gave India a cracking start through their second-wicket stand of 87 (67).
The former captain was dismissed for 48 (39) by Afghanistan’s ace spinner Rashid Khan. However, India turned even more adventurous from thereon as Gill and Ishan Kishan, now slotted at No. 4, hammered the visitors to all parts of the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
At the time of writing, the duo are still in the middle, with their third-wicket partnership worth 191* (128) currently as India are close to touching 300 in the 36th over.
Gill brought up his century off 77 balls, and Kishan was slightly quicker, raising his hundred off 71 balls. This is Gill’s 9th ODI century and Kishan’s second. Both these batsmen also have a double hundred each in this format.
Right from the onset of his innings, Gill seemed in his element. Whether it was mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, or the veteran Rashid Khan, or the newbies Bilal Sami, Saleem Safi, and Nangeyalia Kharoti – Gill took a proper toll on each one of them to reel off a splendid century as he and Kishan put India on course for what seems like a 400-plus total.
Gill’s century off 77 balls today is the fifth-fastest by an Indian batsman in ODI cricket ever, the Punjab batsman now sitting among the likes of Rohit, Sehwag, and Kohli on this tally. It is also the fifth-quickest century by any batsman in ODIs against Afghanistan.
Gill gave further proof of why he is the heir apparent to Kohli and could take the No. 3 spot in the ODI team, having already cemented himself in the No. 4 position in the Test side, after Kohli retires.
Fans on Twitter hailed Gill for his outstanding knock and celebrated his century, praising the right-handed batsman.
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