Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth showered praise on Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan after India registered a comprehensive 170-run win against Afghanistan in the second ODI at Lucknow on Wednesday. Gill scored a stunning knock of 154 runs off just 110 balls with the help of 22 fours and two sixes.

This was Gill’s ninth ODI century as the Indian captain batted at the top of his game. Srikkanth compared Gill’s cover drives with veteran Indian batter Virat Kohli. Earlier in the series, Gill scored an unbeaten knock of 84 runs off 66 balls and also scored a fine century in the one-off Test against the visitors.

“Shubman Gill is playing on another level at the moment. How Virat is the master of cover drives, he is also playing like that. Outstanding knock. Only he could have gotten out himself and gone. There was no chance otherwise. It does not seem like he will even get out,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

On the other hand, Ishan Kishan also continued his purple patch, smashing 125 runs off just 79 balls, which is his second ODI hundred. 

He added 224 runs off 140 balls for the third wicket partnership with skipper Shubman Gill to put India in command. Kishan scored 14 fours and seven sixes in his blistering knock and scored his runs at a strike rate of 158.23.

Srikkanth praised Kishan for making a roaring comeback into the Indian team.

“Look at Ishan Kishan, what he came and did. BCCI did the right thing telling go and perform in domestic first. He went and did that. Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and many have come back like this. It has done him a lot of good. His range of shot making is also amazing. Shubman also has 365 degrees, he plays authentic cricket, copy book style like Virat Kohli. But Kishan is just tearing the bowling apart. Bowlers don’t know what to do with him. He played very few shots behind the wicket, which shows what an outstanding knock it was,” he said.

The third and final ODI between India and Afghanistan will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Saturday.