Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan produced a brilliant performance to dismiss Rohit Sharma during the ongoing second ODI. The leg spinner ended a dangerous partnership by bowling out the India captain for 48, denying him a half-century and giving Afghanistan a much-needed breakthrough.
Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday, June 17. Team India made three changes to its winning combination, with Prince Yadav given a debut, while Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal returned to the team.
Rashid Khan’s brilliant googly ends Rohit Sharma’s innings
Afghanistan finally got the breakthrough when Rashid Khan dismissed Rohit Sharma on the very first ball of the 14th over. The leg spinner made a brilliant googly which Rohit failed to pick up. The former India captain brought his bat down late, but it hit the middle and leg stump after taking an inside edge.
This wicket was at a crucial juncture for Afghanistan. India were in control at 96/2, but Rashid’s breakthrough gave the visitors a chance to fight back as the innings moved into the middle overs, where spin was expected to play a bigger role. Earlier in his innings, Rohit completed 14,000 runs in List A cricket.
Rashid continued his excellent record against Rohit in ODI cricket also. The Indian opener has faced the Afghan spinner in two ODI innings, scoring 26 runs in 23 balls while being dismissed twice. Rohit’s average against Rashid in this format is 13.
Before getting out, Rohit had put India in a strong position by playing an aggressive inning of 48 runs with the help of six fours and two sixes in 39 balls. After the early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit and Shubman Gill took the innings forward with a brilliant 87-run partnership for the second wicket, keeping the scoring rate high.
– Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) June 17, 2026
Highest partnership for any wicket for India vs Afghanistan in ODI
| player | partnership | venue | Year | ball |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma | 156 | Delhi | 2023 | first wicket |
| Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane | 121 | Mirpur | 2014 | first wicket |
| KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu | 110 | Dubai (DICS) | 2018 | first wicket |
| Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill | 87* | Lucknow | 2026 | second wicket |
| Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill | 70 | Hospice | 2026 | second wicket |
Shubman Gill took command of India after Rohit Sharma was out.
At the time of writing, India were at 136/2 after 20 overs, with Shubman Gill unbeaten on 71 off 53 balls and Ishan Kishan batting on 11 off 19 balls. The pair will look to build a big partnership in the middle overs and lay the foundation for a strong finish.
It is noteworthy that after winning the opening match in Dharamshala, the Shubman Gill-led team has already taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. India chased the target of 195 runs in a rain-interrupted 25-over match and won with seven wickets to spare.
Gill played a match-winning innings in the first ODI and remained unbeaten after scoring 84 runs on 66 balls while chasing the target. A win in the current match would give India an unassailable 2-0 lead and seal the ODI series before the final game.
