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Thanks to centuries from captain Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, India achieved an emphatic win against Afghanistan in Lucknow. Along with the victory, some criticisms of the Indian cricket team have also come to the fore.
The Indian team management has made some changes in the playing eleven for the second match of the three-match ODI series. One of the major changes he made was the change in the batting position of Shubman Gill. Gill dropped himself to number three and made way for Yashasvi Jaiswal to open the innings with Rohit Sharma.
Shubman Gill scored 154 runs in 110 balls in Lucknow
While the captain himself scored 154 runs from 110 and won the Player of the Match award, Yashasvi Jaiswal was out after scoring only 4 runs. Rohit Sharma scored 48 runs. The sudden change in the batting order received some criticism after the match.
Former India batsman Manoj Tiwari claims that it was good to see Yashasvi Jaiswal back in the team as an opening batsman, but as the number three batsman, Shubman Gill lacked clarity compared to Manoj Tiwari.
Tiwary raised a valid question, since Gill has scored a century from the third position, will he return to the starting position? As the question stands, the team management’s next possible move is unclear. According to the former cricketer, just as there is uncertainty, there is also a lack of clarity.
Rohit Sharma’s form can also play an important role in preparing the playing eleven here. If he is not able to score runs as per the expectations of the team management, will he remain in the line-up? This is another issue raised by Manoj Tiwari.
I see a huge lack of clarity: Manoj Tiwari
“If they open with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma and demote Shubman Gill. Now, if he scores runs there, he would be thinking. “Should I go back to the top or not? So, I have no idea at all what they are trying to do,” the former cricketer said during a discussion session with Cricbuzz.
He said, “I see a huge lack of clarity here, but it is good to see Jaiswal playing, because he deserves to play in all formats. If Rohit Sharma somehow does not perform well today, there will be a lot of mental pressure from outside.”
A great victory for India
By winning two consecutive matches, Team India has already captured the three-match ODI series while one more match is still to be played. On 17 June, the home team outclassed the visitors in all departments at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Batting first, India scored 402 runs, and Afghanistan could only manage 232 runs for ten wickets, sealing a 170-run victory for the Men in Blue. Shubman Gill was adjudged player of the match for scoring 154 runs.
Ishan Kishan, who came to bat as number 4 batsman, scored 125 runs in 79 balls. Even with the ball, the host team was far ahead of the Afghanistan cricket team. Fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar took three wickets each and debutant fast bowler Prince Yadav got two wickets.