NEW CHANDIGARH: Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar starred with the ball after India piled up 564 and reduced Afghanistan to 132-5 at stumps on the second day of the one-off Test on Sunday.
India’s strong total was built around centuries from captain Shubman Gill (126) and KL Rahul (100). B Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant also made valuable contributions, scoring 81 runs each. Washington Sundar remained unbeaten on 52 as India declared after a dominant batting display.
Afghanistan pacer Mohammad Saleem was the pick of the bowlers, claiming six wickets in a determined effort. Azmatullah Omarzai also bowled well but Afghanistan missed opportunities after choosing not to review two umpiring decisions that could have dismissed Gill and Pant earlier.
In reply, Afghanistan’s openers survived some early pressure before Suthar struck with his first wicket in Test cricket. Abdul Malik attempted a sweep but only managed a top edge to backward square leg.
Suthar continued to trouble the batters with sharp turn and drift. He removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for seven after forcing an edge to second slip. The spinner later added Afsar Zazai to finish with figures of 3-20.
Prasidh Krishna provided strong support, dismissing Sediqullah Atal with a delivery that crashed into the stumps. He later trapped captain Hashmatullah Shahidi leg before wicket.
Rahmat Shah offered resistance for Afghanistan and was unbeaten on 43 at the close. He shared a cautious stand with his team-mates as Afghanistan tried to avoid further damage late in the day.
Earlier, India resumed on 368-3. Gill added 23 runs to his overnight score before edging behind, while Pant’s aggressive innings ended on 81 when he was caught at long-off.
With Suthar making an immediate impact, India finished the day firmly in control of the match.
