'I knew that I'll have to...': Shubman Gill opens up on double century ambition after India's big win over AFG in 2nd ODI

After winning the ODI series against Afghanistan, India captain Shubman Gill admitted that he had his sights set on a double century in Lucknow. The skipper explained that he had established a personal, pre-series target focused on batting for at least 40 overs and staying at the crease to personally finish matches for his country.

Shubman Gill admits he was eyeing double ton in IND vs AFG 2nd ODI

Gill successfully put his tactical vision into practice, battling through intense heat and debilitating cramps to produce a masterful innings of 154. His elite performance at the top of the order was perfectly complemented by an increasingly confident Ishan Kishan, who smashed a statement century to help India secure a dominant 170-run victory over Afghanistan, convincingly sealing the three-match series in the process.

"Yes, I was, but I knew that I'll have to keep hitting my shots, keep 430, 440, 450 in mind," Gill said at the post-match presentation.

Gill milestone-loaded 154 lights up Lucknow

Gill led from the front with a commanding performance as India posted a massive total and registered umpteen milestones in the match. The Indian skipper completed 7,000 runs in international cricket during a sensational knock of 154 off 110 balls. Despite battling intense heat and severe cramps throughout his stay at the crease, he struck 22 boundaries and two sixes, maintaining a blistering strike rate of 140.00.

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Following this landmark performance, Gill's career aggregate stands at 7,029 runs across 140 matches and 173 innings at an impressive average of 46.24 and a strike rate of 81.87. This stellar international record includes 21 centuries and 29 half-centuries, highlighted by a career-best individual score of 269.

A format-wise breakdown highlights his consistency across the board. In Test cricket, Gill has accumulated 2,969 runs in 41 matches at an average of 44.37, notched up across 74 innings with 11 centuries and eight fifties. In T20Is, he has featured in 36 matches, scoring 869 runs at an average of 28.03 and an impactful strike rate of 138.59, featuring one century and three fifties.

One-Day Internationals remain his most prolific format, where he has racked up 3,191 runs in 63 matches at a stunning average of 59.09. His ODI tally boasts nine centuries and 18 half-centuries, including a career-best knock of 208.

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Gill’s latest masterpiece in Lucknow also rewrote the record books for individual scoring speed. He brought up his 150 in just 108 deliveries, marking the third-fastest 150 by an Indian in ODI history, trailing only Ishan Kishan’s 103-ball blitz against Bangladesh in 2022 and Virat Kohli’s 106-ball effort against Sri Lanka in 2023. Additionally, he crossed the century mark in just 77 balls, securing the fourth-fastest ODI hundred by an Indian captain, a list led by Rohit Sharma’s 63-ball century against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup.
This record-breaking individual display was amplified by a crucial 224-run partnership for the third wicket. Gill found an equally aggressive partner in Ishan Kishan, who dismantled the Afghan bowling attack with a rapid 125 off 79 balls, hammering 14 fours and seven sixes to help India lay the foundation for their mammoth total 402-run total. In reply, Afghanistan were bundled out for 232 to suffer 170-run hammering.