Twitter erupted with praise today as Shubman Gill smashed a magnificent 154 runs off 110 balls against Afghanistan. Batting at number three in the 2nd ODI at Lucknow, the Indian captain scored his first ODI century as skipper. He also became the fastest Indian player to reach 3,000 ODI runs, doing it in just 62 innings. Cricket fans, experts, and casual viewers on X (formerly Twitter) are breaking down every aspect of his historic knock. Cricket analysts on X are sharing video clips of his boundaries, calling his batting "pure textbook perfection.” Fans went crazy over his signature short-arm jab against Afghanistan's pacers Bilal Sami and Saleem Safi. One viral tweet noted that Gill makes a 136 km/h delivery look like a slow-pitch throw.

He hit 22 fours and 2 sixes. Fans pointed out how effortlessly he caressed the ball to split the extra-cover and mid-off fields. Fans loved the contrast between Gill and Ishan Kishan. While Kishan was "fire" (smashing 7 sixes), Gill was "ice," anchoring the team with glorious timed shots. Outside of his batting, Twitter users are obsessed with the friendship between Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan. Tweets joked that while Gill plays like a formal gentleman, Kishan bats like he is playing a video game on easy mode. Before this bilateral series, a few critics on social media questioned if the pressure of captaincy would ruin Gill's natural batting flow. Today's 154-run knock, following his unbeaten 84 in the first ODI, completely shut down those debates. Fans are proudly tweeting that captaincy has actually made Gill more dangerous.

 

India posts 402 against Afghanistan at Ekana Stadium

India set a historic world record by blasting 402 runs before getting bowled out in 49.5 overs against Afghanistan at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium.This match marked the first time in the 55-year history of ODI cricket that a team scored 400 or more runs but still lost all ten of their wickets. The incredible feat also meant India equalled South Africa's global record for the most 400+ totals in men's ODI history. After Yashasvi Jaiswal fell early for 4, Rohit Sharma blasted a quick 48. Then, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan took total control. They shared a spectacular 224-run partnership off just 141 balls. Gill smashed a masterful 154 runs with 22 fours. Kishan broke his three-year century drought with a fierce 125 runs, hitting 7 sixes.India looked ready to cross 450 at 320-3. However, a major late collapse saw them lose their last seven wickets for just 42 runs. Young spinner Nangeyalia Kharote starred with 4 wickets to bowl India out in 49.5 overs.

Afghanistan’s bowlers pulled off a remarkable, historic fightback after being thoroughly thrashed in the middle overs at Lucknow.Initially, they had no answers for the brutal 224-run onslaught by Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan. However, the spin department dramatically stepped up to trigger a sensational collapse, restricting India to 402 all out when a score of 450 looked effortless. Young left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote was the absolute hero, changing the game with a stellar spell of 4 for 76. He dismissed Kishan, got Gill out, and removed KL Rahul for a golden duck. Master spinner Rashid Khan provided incredible control, choking the runs with superb figures of 3 for 48. Afghanistan took 7 wickets for just 62 runs in the final ten overs to bowl India completely out.