India’s batting depth and the emergence of left-arm spinner Manav Suthar headlined a dominant second day in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh, as the hosts tightened their grip on the match.
India, resuming on a commanding 368 for three, continued their batting onslaught as Shubman Gill (126) and KL Rahul (100) anchored the innings, while B Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant both contributed fluent 81s. Washington Sundar added an unbeaten 52 as every Indian batter reached double figures in a relentless display of control and intent in testing heat.
Afghanistan’s Mohammad Saleem was the standout with the ball, finishing with a six-wicket haul, while Azmatullah Omarzai also created early pressure but missed out on further rewards as Afghanistan’s review decisions proved costly. India were eventually bowled out after crossing 450, before declaring and giving their bowlers a brief burst before tea.
Afghanistan’s reply began cautiously, with openers Sediqullah Atal and Abdul Malik surviving early seam movement from Mohammed Siraj. However, Prasidh Krishna struck a decisive blow when he removed Atal with a delivery that seamed in sharply to hit the stumps.
The highlight of the innings, however, came from debutant Manav Suthar, who bowled a probing marathon spell either side of tea. The left-arm spinner extracted notable drift and turn and maintained disciplined lengths to finish with three wickets, including key breakthroughs of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hashmatullah Shahidi. He also struck just before tea and again at the close of play, finishing with figures of 3 for 20 from 12.2 overs in a composed introduction to Test cricket.
Rahmat Shah offered resistance with an unbeaten 43, including a rare six off Suthar, but lacked support as Afghanistan’s batting faltered under sustained pressure. Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna provided control from the other end, while Sundar chipped in with useful overs to keep the scoring in check.
Earlier, India’s innings had briefly wobbled when Afghanistan’s seamers found movement with the second new ball. Saleem removed Gill after a well-made century and later dismissed Pant for 81, exploiting uneven bounce and maintaining relentless accuracy through long spells.
Despite brief resistance from the lower order, India’s total proved far beyond Afghanistan’s reach. Suthar’s successful debut, combined with India’s overwhelming batting depth, left the hosts firmly in control heading into the third day.
