Shubman Gill (left) and Sunil Gavaskar.© X (formerly Twitter)
Shubman Gill shone with the bat as India humbled Afghanistan by 170 runs in the second ODI in Lucknow on Wednesday. With the victory, the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. This turned out to be Gill’s first series victory as India’s ODI captain after taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma last year. Gill scored 154 as India posted 402 in 49.5 overs after being invited to bat against Afghanistan. They then bundled out their opponents for 232, registering a massive win.
While talking about Gill’s performance, India legend Sunil Gavaskar pointed out how a skipper’s form is reflected in his captaincy duties.
“When you’re not getting runs, you’re not confident about making those marginal moves that come from your gut feel, like holding back a bowler who has bowled well, giving him an extra over, or moving a fielder from a certain position. That gut feel is a lot stronger when you’re personally performing. But if you’re not performing, even when you get a gut feel, you’re apprehensive about making that call because you’re worried about getting it wrong. Since you’re also not performing as a player, you’ll be criticised for your captaincy as well,” Gavaskar said on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’ show.
In the second ODI against Afghanistan, India were reduced to 96 for 2 in 13.1 overs after losing Rohit Sharma (48). This is when Gill and Ishan Kishan stitched a 224-run stand off 140 balls to put the hosts in complete control of the game. Kishan fell for 125 off 79 balls, while Gill hit 154 off 110 deliveries. Gill became the fastest Indian player to score 3000 ODI runs. He got there in his 62nd innings, comfortably surpassing the previous joint record of 72, held by Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer.
In Afghanistan’s chase, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh picked three wickets each, helping India bowl out Afghanistan for 232.
The third and final ODI between the sides will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on June 20.
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