Ishan Kishan produced one of the fastest centuries ever scored against Afghanistan in ODI cricket, reaching the three-figure mark in just 71 balls during the second ODI of the three-match series in Lucknow on Wednesday.The India wicketkeeper-batter moved past Glenn Maxwell’s famous 76-ball hundred against Afghanistan during the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium and now holds the third-fastest ODI century against the side.Fastest ODI centuries vs Afghanistan (by balls faced):
- 57 – Eoin Morgan, Manchester, 2019
- 63 – Rohit Sharma, Delhi, 2023
- 71 – Ishan Kishan, Lucknow, 2026*
- 76 – Glenn Maxwell, Mumbai WS, 2023
- 77 – Shubman Gill, Lucknow, 2026*
Kishan reached the milestone on the final ball of the 33rd over. He cut a delivery from Bilal Sami through backward point for a boundary to bring up his second ODI century. The left-hander celebrated by raising his bat and acknowledging the crowd. After reaching his half-century in 52 balls, Kishan accelerated, scoring his next 53 runs in just 19 deliveries.Earlier in the same over, Gill also completed his century with a boundary. The India captain got to the landmark in 77 balls, making it the fifth-fastest ODI hundred by an Indian captain.Fastest ODI centuries by Indian captains (by balls faced):
- 63 – Rohit Sharma vs Afghanistan, Delhi, 2023
- 69 – Virender Sehwag vs West Indies, Indore, 2011
- 76 – Virat Kohli vs Sri Lanka, Colombo RPS, 2017
- 76 – Rohit Sharma vs England, Cuttack, 2025
- 77 – Shubman Gill vs Afghanistan, Lucknow, 2026*
The match also marked the first time two Indian batters have scored ODI centuries in 80 balls or fewer in the same innings. Overall, it was the eighth such instance by any team in ODI cricket. Kishan reached his hundred in 71 balls, while Gill took 77 deliveries.Earlier, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bowl first.India, who lead the series 1-0, handed an ODI debut to fast bowler Prince Yadav after his performances for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026. Nitish Kumar Reddy missed the match because of a quadricep injury, while Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal returned to the playing XI.Afghanistan also handed ODI debuts to Darwish Rasooli and Bilal Sami.
