India tighten control against Afghanistan after strong batting, Suthar’s debut spell

NEW CHANDIGARH: India strengthened their position on the second day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, building on a powerful batting effort before debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar made an immediate impact with the ball.

Resuming at 368 for three, India extended their innings through substantial contributions from several batters. Shubman Gill made 126 and KL Rahul scored 100, while B Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant added 81 each. Washington Sundar remained unbeaten on 52 as India’s line-up ensured every batter reached double figures in difficult heat.

Afghanistan’s Mohammad Saleem was the most effective bowler, taking six wickets in a long spell. Azmatullah Omarzai also generated early pressure, though Afghanistan were unable to convert that into greater returns, with review decisions proving expensive. India were eventually dismissed after moving beyond 450 and then chose to declare, allowing their bowlers a short spell before tea.

Afghanistan struggle in reply

Afghanistan began carefully, with Sediqullah Atal and Abdul Malik negotiating some early movement from Mohammed Siraj. The first breakthrough came when Prasidh Krishna bowled Atal with a delivery that moved back in sharply.

Suthar then emerged as the central figure in Afghanistan’s innings. Bowling a long spell on either side of tea, the left-arm spinner found drift and turn while maintaining tight lines. He claimed three wickets, including the important dismissals of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hashmatullah Shahidi, and ended the day with figures of 3 for 20 from 12.2 overs in his first Test appearance.

Rahmat Shah remained unbeaten on 43 and struck a six off Suthar, but Afghanistan’s batting line-up was unable to build partnerships under steady pressure. Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna kept things controlled from the other end, while Sundar also contributed useful overs to limit the scoring rate.

India’s innings built on top-order platform

India’s dominance with the bat had earlier been established through their top and middle order, although Afghanistan’s seamers briefly found some assistance with the second new ball. Saleem removed Gill after his century and later dismissed Pant for 81, taking advantage of uneven bounce and maintaining accuracy.

Even with that late resistance from Afghanistan’s bowlers, India’s total left the visitors facing a difficult task. By the close of play, Suthar’s successful debut and India’s batting depth had left the hosts firmly in command heading into the third day.