India heads into the 2nd ODI in Lucknow holding a 1-0 lead in this historic, first-ever bilateral ODI series against Afghanistan. Following a comprehensive 7-wicket victory in Dharamshala—powered by Shubman Gill‘s elegant 84 and a disciplined bowling performance—the Men in Blue look settled despite resting prominent figures like Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Led by Gill, the hosts boast a formidable batting line-up featuring heavyweights Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer.
For Afghanistan, the series remains an uphill but exciting battle. Rahmanullah Gurbaz‘s blazing 102 in the opening game proved that their top order possesses elite fire power. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi will need his middle order to step up and build solid partnerships, while relying heavily on the world-class expertise of Rashid Khan and young talent Allah Ghazanfar to trigger an Indian collapse on a surface that historically tests batting resolve.
IND vs AFG, 2nd ODI: Match Details
- Date and Time: June 17, 1:30 PM IST / 8:00 AM GMT
- Venue: Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
IND vs AFG Head-to-Head Record in ODIs
Matches Played: 5 | India Won: 4 | Afghanistan Won: 0 | Tied: 1
Ekana Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
The surface at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow is traditionally known to balance out into a highly competitive cricketing strip. While it offers good carry and bounce for the fast bowlers with the new ball, the pitch behaves as a classic subcontinental track as the game progresses, slowing down significantly and offering plenty of assistance to the spinners. Batters who are willing to bide their time and play late will find success, but hitting through the line straightaway can prove treacherous. Given the afternoon start and potential evening dew, captains usually face a tactical dilemma; however, putting runs on the board and squeezing the opposition with spin in the second innings is typically a preferred blueprint here.
Squads
India: Shubman Gill (c), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Darwish Rasooli, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem
IND vs AFG, 2nd ODI, Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- India wins the toss and bowls first
- Afghanistan’s powerplay score: 40-50
- Afghanistan’s total score: 250-270
Case 2:
- Afghanistan wins the toss and bowls first
- India’s powerplay score: 50-60
- India’s total score: 300-320
Match Result: Team bowling first to win the contest.
Also WATCH: IND vs AFG – Shubman Gill grabs a stunner to remove Allah Ghazanfar in the first ODI
