India’s KL Rahul, left, celebrates his century with captain Shubman Gill (PTI Photo)
Shubman Gill and KL Rahul produced centuries in contrasting styles as India dominated the opening day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, finishing with a score of 368 for 3 and firmly dominating the contest.While Rahul relied on patience, discipline and textbook defense to compile a 165-ball 100, captain Gill impressed with his batting and fluency, remaining unbeaten on 103 off 143 deliveries. The duo displayed different approaches but achieved the same result, weakening an Afghanistan attack that struggled to contain the depth of India’s batting.
Gill’s roles seemed easy for long periods. The Indian skipper mixed elegance with power, hitting 11 fours and a six in a row on his way to his 11th Test hundred in just his 41st match.
His ability to find boundaries without taking unnecessary risks made the innings feel almost like a training session.India’s dominance was further underscored by Sai Sudharsen’s brilliant 81 off 104 balls. The left-hander looked set for his maiden Test century after surviving two chances, one from left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote and the other from off-spinner Ziaur Rahman. But he failed when Mohammed Saleem created an edge behind the stumps.
Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal departed for 24 after glancing an innocuous delivery down the leg side, but Rahul and Sudharsen repaired the damage with a 139-run partnership. Rahul was given an early reprieve when Afghanistan failed to appeal for a weak advantage, and he made the most of the opportunity, reaching his 12th Test over with 11 boundaries.Just one ball after reaching the milestone, Rahul’s innings came to an end when he narrowly drove his drive towards a cover fielder off Ziyauer.The last session was for Jill W
Rishabh Pant
whose unbeaten 121-run partnership left Afghanistan chasing shadows in the North Indian heat. Pant played with exemplary freedom, smashing three balls in an unbeaten half-century off just 70 balls, while Gill continued to dictate terms with a mixture of elegant shots and rotation of smart strokes.For Afghanistan, Saleem was the most successful bowler with figures of 2 for 67, while Ziaur Rahman impressed despite returning just one wicket.
The biggest concern was the spin department. With their frontline players unavailable, the onus fell on Kharout and Abdul Malik, but neither of them could consistently trouble India’s players.Kharoot finished wicketlessly despite bowling 20 overs, conceding 95 runs, while Malik also failed to make a breakthrough. India did not launch an all-out attack, yet still accumulated at a healthy rate, hitting 42 fours and four sixes throughout the day.With the pitch expected to provide increased assistance to spin, India are likely to bat only briefly on the second morning before looking to unleash their slow pacers on an Afghan side already under immense pressure.