India vs Afghanistan Highlights, 2nd ODI at Lucknow: Men in Blue clinch ODI series with clinical 170-run victory

That’s it from us in our coverage of the second ODI between India and Afghanistan. Thank you and good night!

Gill had succeeded Rohit Sharma as ODI captain in October last year, but had suffered series defeats against Australia (away) and New Zealand (home) by identical 2-1 scorelines. KL Rahul had led the Men in Blue when they defeated South Africa by a similar scoreline at home in November last year.

Gill will now be hoping to complete a 3-0 sweep in the third and final ODI in Chennai this Saturday.

Debutant Prince Yadav grabs what proves to be the final wicket of the evening, finishing with figures of 2/56! Rahmat is the last Afghan batter to fall, departing for 79 after pulling a short delivery towards fine leg where Gurnoor lunges forward and completes the catch. Darwish Rasooli had retired hurt on 6 earlier in the chase and will not be walking out bat. AFG 232 all out in 44.3

Faint LBW appeal by Gurnoor against Bilal Sami, and stand-in skipper Shreyas Iyer goes for the review  knowing a burnt review will hardly affect the Men in Blue. The ball is angling back in sharply and hits Bilal on the back pad along leg. Wickets is ‘Umpire’s Call’ and the ball is found to be missing leg. India have another review in hand, so it’s not much of a loss anyway. Just three added to the Afghan total in Gurnoor’s final over including a leg bye as the Punjab seamer signs off with figures of 3/60. AFG 230/8; need 173 off 36

The pacer, who had collected his maiden international wicket earlier, concedes just two singles in his seventh over. Looks like Rahmat is in no hurry to get to his century from here, and will be happy to remain unbeaten till the end, even if he remains stranded in the nineties. AFG 227/8 in 43; target: 403

That includes a front-foot no-ball in the penultimate delivery of the over. Gurnoor, however, does well to a dot in the subsequent ‘Free Hit’. Rahmat, meanwhile, collects a single to move to 76. AFG 225/8 in 42; need 178 off 48

India are in experimental mode now as part-time leggie Yashasvi Jaiswal is introduced at the start of the final phase of the Afghan innings. The leg-spinner starts his spell on a tidy note, conceding just three singles. Rahmat Shah’s batting on 75 and he will be hoping to bat the remaining overs out from here. AFG 223/8 in 41; target: 403

Safi departs for 9 off 19, getting castled by an inswinging yorker from the seamer as India need just two more wickets to complete a series-clinching victory in Lucknow. AFG 220/8 in 40; need 183 off 60

Quite the eventful over by Arshdeep. Rahmat is nearly dismissed twice in as many deliveries. The ball lands just short of Rohit at backward point in the second delivery. Kishan then suffers an awkward fall while pedalling backwards, attempting to pull off a tough running catch near cow corner. He lands awkwardly on his left shoulder and leaves the field shortly after. Rahmat completes a brace and is down on the ground with cramps, with the team physio making another trip to the centre. Safi ends the over with a boundary, guiding the full delivery outside off through point. Seven from the over. AFG 214/7 in 39; need 189 off 66

Gurnoor Brar returns to the attack after Kuldeep bowls out and concedes five in his seventh over, including a brace to Rahmat in the first delivery. AFG 207/7 in 38; need 196 off 72

Rahmat pounces on a full delivery angled across the wicket, and drives it through the covers for a four. This after collecting a brace at the start of the over with a pull towards deep midwicket. Rahmat’s batting in the 60s at the end of the over. AFG 202/7 in 37; target: 403

The senior spinner concedes just a single in his final over of the evening. Afghanistan, meanwhile, are yet to breach the 200-mark, with just 14 overs left in their chase. AFG 195/7 in 36

Safi gets an outside edge later in Arshdeep’s seventh over, with the ball snaking through the gap between keeper Rahul and Rohit at first slip, preventing the over from going as a wicket maiden. AFG 194/7 in 35; target: 403

Allah Ghazanfar’s the latest to depart, falling for 1 after chipping the ball straight to Shreyas Iyer at mid off. Afghanistan are hurtling towards defeat at the moment. AFG 190/7 in 34.1; target: 403

The left-arm wrist spinner concedes just two singles in his penultimate over of the evening. Runs have completely stopped flowing for the Afghans now. AFG 190/6 in 34; target: 403

Rashid opens the face of his bat, looking to steer a short ball towards third man, but ends up hitting it straight to Rohit, who’s stationed in front of the boundary rope. AFG 188/6 in 33; need 215 off 102

The all-rounder brings up his 33rd ODI fifty at nearly run-a-ball with a single in the final delivery of Kuldeep’s eighth over. The target might be well out of reach for the Afghans now but Rahmat will be hoping to convert this into a century from here. AFG 185/5 in 32; target: 403

Nangeyalia Kharoti departs for 6 after getting his off stump knocked over by a beauty from Prince, who gets the ball to straighten after pitching between off and middle, with the ball deflecting off the batter’s thigh. AFG 170/5 in 30.1; target: 403

Just five runs conceded by the left-arm wrist spinner in his seventh over after returning to the attack in the 30th over. Rahmat, meanwhile, is on the verge of completing his fifty. AFG 170/4 in 30; target: 403

Rahmat plays a superb drive past mid on in the third delivery and the next one is even straighter, going past the bowler. 10 from the over. AFG 165/4 in 29; target: 403

Rahmat Shah is finding a boundary here and there but that is not going to help much. Afghanistan need 11.45 runs per over to win this game. In the last five over, they have collected just 27. India in complete control.

AFG 155-4(28)

The chase is now comfortably out of Afghanistan’s hands it seems. Nangeyalia Kharote has joined Rahmat Shah in the middle but the required run rate is now 11. India should feel they have sealed this series here.

AFG 150-4(27)

Hashmatullah Shahidi is out second ball. He hit a four first ball but Gurnoor Brar drops it short this time and Shahidi wants to pull the ball but he gets an inside edge on to his stumps. India get another wicket.

AFG 140-4(25)

Darwish Rasooli had to leave field on a stretcher during the first innings. He came out to bat and hobbled while running during the six balls he played and now he is lying on the ground in pain.

Now, he is going back again. Rasooli goes back retired hurt.

AFG 136-3(24.3)

The review will be of no avail as it stays out. Sediqullah Atal will have to walk back for 42 off 50. A decent innings but he should have made it bigger. Washington Sundar has a wicket.

The partnership now is above 50, 57 to be precise. Sediqullah Atal has just a couple of fours in this over of Gurnoor Brar but the required run rate has already gone above 10. Afghanistan need to take some more risks.

AFG 128-2(23)

Sediqullah Atal is not taking any risks against the Indian bowling attack, smacking Kuldeep for a six in the third delivery. Slight intent is shown by the batter on strike during the chase as the game enters a crucial phase. AFG 115/2 (21)

Sundar returns to bowl but doesn’t have any slip this time. Rahmat starts the over with a single, bringing up the team’s hundred.

Atal finally gets a boundary, sweeping it over short fine leg. Two dots in the following deliveries and then a single to cap off the over. AFG 105/2 (20)

Afghanistan hasn’t shown any aggressiveness since Gurbaz’s dismissal. Another quiet over against spinner Kuldeep, who conceded five runs in the 19th over. The lack of boundaries would impact their chances of winning tonight.

Rahmat and Sediq require a strategy to get going against the dominant Indian bowling attack. AFG 99/2 (19)

Just four runs conceded in the over, Sediq and Rahmat aren’t displaying much attacking instincts against India, considering they have a massive 403-run target on the board. AFG 94/2 (18)