Shubman Gill's red-hot form continued in Lucknow as he tonked his first ODI century as India captain during second match against Afghanistan at Ekana Stadium on June 17. To accommodate the returning Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order, Gill shifted from his usual opening role down to the no. slot. After Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bowl, Gill was called into action early, walking out in the third over after Jaiswal fell to Mohammed Saleem for just four runs.
Shubman Gill hammers superlative century in IND vs AFG 2nd ODI
Building on his flawless performance from the previous ODI in Dharamsala, where he struck an unbeaten 84 during a 195-run chase, Gill anchored the innings alongside Rohit Sharma. The duo put together an 87-run partnership for the second wicket. Although Rohit narrowly missed out on his half-century, Gill shifted gears and accelerated his scoring rate, cruising to his century in just 77 deliveries with an aggressive display that featured 12 fours and two sixes. This was also his fastest century in the format.
ALSO READ: Why Nitish Kumar Reddy is not playing in 2nd ODI vs Afghanistan? BCCI shares update
This milestone marks Gill’s ninth ODI century in just 63 innings, drawing him level with former India captain MS Dhoni. Furthermore, Gill’s remarkable career average of nearly 59 stands as the highest among all Indian men in the history of the format. This follows his milestone in the previous innings, where he crossed the 3,000-run threshold in his 62nd innings to become the second-fastest batter to reach the landmark globally behind South Africa’s Hashim Amla (57 innings), shattering Shikhar Dhawan's previous Indian record by 10 innings.
Ishan Kishan joins party with brilliant ton
At just 26 years old, Gill is early into his leadership journey, having captained the ODI side in only eight matches. However, his captaincy era has coincided with a phenomenal run of form; since taking over the Test captaincy in June 2026, he has plundered 1,076 runs in 15 innings at an astonishing average of 82.76, including six centuries and a fifty. Despite braving the sapping Lucknow heat, India's momentum never wavered, as No. 4 batter Ishan Kishan later joined the party with a quick-fire century of his own off just 71 deliveries to keep the pressure firmly on Afghanistan.