After a rain-affected victory in Dharamsala, India entered the second ODI with the opportunity to seal the series. Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to exploit any early movement in the sweltering Lucknow heat. Both teams made three changes each, with India handing a debut to fast bowler Prince Yadav and Afghanistan giving a maiden ODI cap to Darwish Rasooli.Source: ESPNcricinfo

India shuffled their batting order as part of World Cup preparations, with Yashasvi Jaiswal opening alongside Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill moving down to No. 3.Source: Times of India The move did not work for Jaiswal, who was dismissed for 4 in the second over, but it set the stage for a masterclass from the captain.

With temperatures soaring and several players struggling with cramps, the match was played in gruelling conditions. Gill would later bat with an ice collar around his neck and needed treatment after the 34th over.Source: NDTV Sports

India’s innings began with a minor hiccup. Yashasvi Jaiswal, promoted to open alongside Rohit Sharma, fell early for 4, cutting Mohammad Saleem to backward point for the pacer’s maiden ODI wicket.Source: ESPNcricinfo But Rohit Sharma, in his typically aggressive style, treated the Lucknow faithful to back-to-back front-foot pulls as India raced past fifty in the seventh over.

Rohit looked set for a big score, striking 48 off 39 balls before Rashid Khan produced a moment of brilliance — a skiddy googly that the veteran opener failed to pick, resulting in the ball crashing into his stumps.Source: ESPNcricinfo Rohit walked off dejected, falling just two runs short of a half-century, but his aggressive start had already laid the platform.

That brought Ishan Kishan to the crease, and what followed was a partnership that will be remembered for years. Gill, who had started his innings with a classy cover-drive off AM Ghazanfar, continued to thread the offside gaps with his on-the-rise drives. Kishan was initially sedate, reaching his half-century off 52 balls — his first since September 2023 — but then he went ballistic.Source: Cricinfo

The duo added 224 runs for the third wicket in just 141 balls at a run rate of 9.60, becoming the joint second-highest partnership against Afghanistan in ODIs and India’s second-fastest double-century stand.Source: Times of India Gill reached his ninth ODI century off 77 balls, while Kishan accelerated dramatically after his fifty, reaching his hundred in just 71 deliveries — his second ODI century and first since the historic double hundred against Bangladesh in December 2022.Sources: ESPNcricinfo, Times of India

Kishan’s innings was a spectacle of power and precision — 125 off 79 balls with 14 fours and seven sixes.Source: ABP Live Gill, battling cramps, continued his masterclass, reaching 150 in just 108 balls — the third-fastest 150 by an Indian in ODIs — and finished with 154 off 110 balls, featuring 22 fours and two sixes.Source: The Statesman

Despite the onslaught, Afghanistan fought back in the final overs. Nangeyalia Kharote dismissed both Gill and Iyer, finishing with 4/76, while Rashid Khan claimed three wickets as India lost seven wickets for 80 runs in the last ten overs.Source: ABP Live But the damage had already been done — India finished on 402 all out in 49.5 overs, their eighth 400-plus total, equalling South Africa’s world record.Source: Times Now

Chasing a daunting 403, Afghanistan needed a flying start. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 52 runs for the first wicket, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope.Source: Tribune India Gurbaz, who had scored a century in the first ODI, looked dangerous, making 41 off 33 balls with seven fours and a six. He enjoyed a slice of luck when debutant Prince Yadav had him caught at mid-on, only for the delivery to be called a no-ball.Source: NDTV Sports

But Gurnoor Brar, playing just his second ODI, provided the breakthrough, dismissing Gurbaz in the eighth over.Source: Tribune India Arshdeep Singh then removed Ibrahim Zadran for 21, and Washington Sundar broke a 57-run stand between Sediqullah Atal (42) and Rahmat Shah.Source: Tribune India

Darwish Rasooli, who had been stretchered off during India’s innings due to cramps, came out to bat but soon retired hurt because of a hamstring injury. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was bowled by Brar for 12, and the Afghan innings was in tatters.

Rahmat Shah, however, fought a lone battle. He scored a laborious 79 off 89 balls, making small partnerships with the tailenders to delay the inevitable.Source: Cricinfo Prince Yadav claimed his maiden ODI wicket when he rattled Nangeyalia Kharote’s stumps, and later dismissed Rahmat Shah in the 45th over to wrap up the innings.Source: NDTV Sports Afghanistan were bowled out for 232 in 44.3 overs, handing India a comprehensive 170-run victory.Source: Tribune India

While the match produced historic batting records, one of the most talked-about moments on social media was the sight of empty stands at the Ekana Stadium. Despite a star-studded India lineup and a thrilling contest, extreme heat kept fans away from the venue, with visuals of the largely empty stadium going viral.Source: Firstpost

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted strongly to the scheduling fiasco, with many questioning the BCCI’s decision to host the match in Lucknow during peak summer. The empty stadiums became a talking point, overshadowing what was otherwise a dominant Indian performance.Source: ABP Live