India strengthened their hold on the one off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh after posting a commanding 564 before reducing the visitors to a difficult position by stumps on day two. While centuries from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul laid the platform, debutant left arm spinner Manav Suthar stole the spotlight with an impressive three wicket haul.
India’s batting effort was built around Gill’s 126 and Rahul’s 100, while B Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant both contributed valuable scores of 81. Further down the order, Washington Sundar added an unbeaten 52, ensuring the hosts crossed the 550 mark. Remarkably, every Indian batter reached double figures during the innings.
Afghanistan’s bowlers worked hard despite the heavy workload. Mohammad Saleem emerged as the standout performer with six wickets, showing tremendous determination throughout the innings. Azmatullah Omarzai also created opportunities with the new ball, although Afghanistan failed to capitalise on a couple of crucial moments due to unsuccessful use of the review system.
Resuming from an overnight position of 368 for 3, India faced an early challenge when Afghanistan took the second new ball. Omarzai found movement and trapped Gill in front before forcing Pant into a mistake soon after, though neither dismissal was reviewed. Gill continued to build his innings before eventually edging Saleem behind after adding 23 runs to his overnight tally. Pant’s aggressive approach brought quick runs, but he eventually departed for 81 while attempting a big hit.
Once India declared, Afghanistan’s reply got off to a cautious start. Suthar quickly demonstrated why he is regarded as a promising spin prospect. Generating significant turn and drift, he troubled the batters from the outset. Abdul Malik became his first Test wicket after miscuing an attempted sweep, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz later edged a sharply turning delivery to slip.
Prasidh Krishna provided excellent support, producing a superb delivery that crashed into Sediqullah Atal’s stumps. Afghanistan attempted to rebuild through Rahmat Shah, who remained unbeaten on 43 at the close, but wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.
Suthar returned later in the day to remove Afsar Zazai and complete an excellent debut performance. He finished with figures of 3 for 20 from 12.2 overs, while Prasidh and Kuldeep Yadav maintained the pressure from the other end.
With a massive first innings total and Afghanistan already four wickets down, India head into day three firmly in control and well positioned to push for victory.
