Indian Manav Suthar, second from left, celebrates with his teammates (AP Photo)
India tightened their grip on the one-off Test against Afghanistan on day two in New Chandigarh, with debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar producing a brilliant spell after the hosts declared the score at 564/8.The foundation for India’s dominance was laid by the batsmen, who piled on runs before captain Shubman Gill called time in the innings soon after Washington Sundar reached his half-century. Sundar remained unbeaten on 52, marking his 56th Test, while Mohammed Siraj scored a quickfire 22 off 12 balls. Earlier, Gill’s 126, KL Rahul’s century and knocks of 81 from both Sai Sudharshan and Rishabh Pant had propelled India to a massive total.
Afghanistan’s response got off to the worst possible start when he struck out Suthar on his debut in Test cricket. Abdul Malik attempted a powerful sweep to the spinner but only managed to hit the shot from the top edge to back square leg.Prasidh Krishna then joined the show after tea, bumping the stumps of Siddiqullah Atal. While the pacers provided breakthroughs, it was Southar who controlled the innings with remarkable discipline.
Bowling after the maiden, he denied the batsmen any room to settle and eventually forced Rahmanullah Gurbaz to an edge that was held safely at slip.Rahmat Shah showed resistance for Afghanistan and ended the day unbeaten on 43. In the process, he became the first Afghan batsman to reach 1,000 Test runs. Alongside him, skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi briefly stabilized the innings with a 36-run partnership.However, Prasidh returned for a second over and struck immediately, trapping Shahidi Rand to push Afghanistan into further trouble. Just before stumps, Suthar picked up the third wicket when Afsar Zazai closed the face of the bat too early and delivered a simple return pass.Suthar finished the day with impressive figures of 3/21 from 15.5 overs, while Prasidh provided excellent support with 2/27. Washington Sundar W
Kuldeep Yadav
It also maintained relentless pressure, ensuring that no rhythm could be found in Afghanistan.Earlier, Mohamed Salim Safi was the standout performer for the visitors. The pacer took 6/140, his first wicket in international cricket since four wicketless matches, and finished by raising the match ball in recognition after dismissing six Indian batsmen.At stumps, Afghanistan were 113/5 in 39.5 overs, still trailing by 451 runs. With half their squad already back on the wing and a big follow-on looming, the visitors face an uphill battle.
Meanwhile, India remains firmly in control and looks to complete the task quickly on day three.Brief Scores: India 564/8 December. In 127 overs (Shubman Gill 126, KL Rahul 100, Sai Sudharsan 81, Rishabh Pant 81, Washington Sundar 52*; Mohammad Saleem Safi 6-140) tops Afghanistan 113/5 in 39.5 overs (Rahmat Shah 43*, Hashmatullah Shahidi 29; Manav Suthar 3-21, Prasidh) Krishna 2-27) with 451 points.