Shubman GillThe remarkable purple streak continued on Wednesday as the India captain put on yet another batting masterclass, drawing much praise Sunil Gavaskar after India’s incredible victory over Afghanistan in Lucknow.Gill has enjoyed stunning form over the last three weeks, piling up runs across formats and competitions. The 26-year-old started the sequence with a leading century for Gujarat Titans against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 before registering his 11th Test hundred in the one-off Test against Afghanistan. He then followed an unbeaten 85 in a rain-soaked ODI in Dharamsala with a magnificent 154 in Lucknow as India secured a dominant victory.The last innings came in challenging conditions and helped set up India’s mammoth total of 402. Gill shared the wicket that defined the 224-run match Ishan Kishanwho scored 125, as the pair completely took the game away from Afghanistan.Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’, Gavaskar said Gill’s success with the bat has also had a positive effect on his captaincy.“When you have no runs, you are not sure about making those marginal moves that come from your gut feeling, like keeping a bowler who bowled well, giving an extra over or moving a fielder from a certain position. That gut feeling is much stronger when you perform in person. But if you don’t perform, even when you have a gut feeling, you fear it because you are worried about making a mistake. Since you are not even playing as a player, you will be criticized for captaincy as well,” Gavaskar said.While Gill and Kishan stole the limelight with the bat, India’s young fast bowlers also played a crucial role in completing the win. Afghanistan were bowled out for 232, with openers Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav taking five wickets together.Gavaskar was particularly impressed with Brar’s performance, praising both his pace bowling and his ability to trouble batsmen with steep bounce.“His run-up is so good, his pace is so good, he was hitting the deck and making the ball go up. The wicket he got from Gurbaz was particularly impressive because of the way the bouncer tracked him. It is very accurate. It comes right to you, right where the attacker doesn’t want it. I think the election commission deserves all the praise. If you look at his stats or his performances in India A, they are fine but not to the extent that you would say he deserved India. But the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, saw something in him and that’s why they selected him. “He was also supported by the management, which is very important,” the former India captain added.An all-round display saw India secure a 170-run win to give them an elusive 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, with Gill’s outstanding form continuing to be one of the biggest positives for the team.
