India captain Shubman Gill extended his impressive form by scoring another half-century in the second ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistan at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday, June 17. Gill reached the milestone in style on the opening delivery of the 17th over when Nangeyalia Kharote delivered a short-of-length ball outside off stump at 90 kph.
With the ball arriving slowly and staying low, the right-hander confidently pulled it from around knee height, sending it sailing over wide long-on for a six to complete his fifty in just 38 balls. Watch the video here:
#ShubmanGill brings up his fifty in style, hammering it over mid-wicket for a six! 🔥
He's leading from the front and looks unstoppable today 💪#INDvAFG | 2nd ODI | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/YiwP9pOAPC pic.twitter.com/uHweYXleDu
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 17, 2026
Featuring in his 63rd ODI, Shubman Gill registered the 19th half-century of his career. He also has eight centuries to his name, with a highest ODI score of 208.
Gill Leads the Charge as India Build Towards Big Score
After being asked to bat first, India suffered an early setback when opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for just four runs in the second over. However, Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill responded positively, batting aggressively to guide the hosts to 80/1 by the end of the powerplay.
The duo stitched together an 87-run partnership from just 67 deliveries for the second wicket before Rohit narrowly missed out on a half-century. The veteran opener departed for 48 off 39 balls, having struck six fours and two sixes, with Rashid Khan claiming his wicket in the 14th over.
Ishan Kishan then joined Gill at the crease and helped maintain the scoring rate. Gill brought up his fifty in the 17th over, and India reached 136/2 after 20 overs. At the time of writing, India were well placed at 170/2 after 24 overs, with Gill unbeaten on 79 from 59 balls and Ishan batting on 37 off 37 deliveries.
A victory in the ongoing contest would give the Men in Blue an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, following their seven-wicket win in the opening ODI at Dharamsala on June 13, where they chased down 195 in just 25 overs.
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