New Delhi: The heartwarming moment involving India captain Shubman Gill after India’s dominant win over Afghanistan in the one-off Test at the new PCA Stadium in Mullanpur has gone viral. In a video widely shared on social media, a young ball boy stationed near the boundary ropes was seen touching Gill’s feet as the India skipper returned to the pavilion after scoring a brilliant century.
Gil, who went from the front with an impressive goal of 126, acknowledged the youngster’s gesture before continuing on his way towards the dressing room. The touching interaction quickly became one of the highlight moments of the match.Manav Suthar steals the show in his debut appearanceWhile Gill’s century and the viral video attracted attention, the match ultimately belonged to debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who has enjoyed an impressive start to his Test career.
The Rajasthan pacer took seven wickets in the match, including a sensational 6/33 in Afghanistan’s first innings, as India completed their biggest-ever win in Test cricket by an innings and 300 runs.
After opting to bat, India posted a massive 564/8. Along with Gill who scored 126 runs, KL Rahul scored 100, while Sai Sudharsen and Rishabh Pant contributed 81 runs each. Washington Sundar added the finishing touches with an unbeaten score of 52.Afghanistan is unable to recoverAfghanistan resumed the third day on 113/5 and were eventually bowled out for 152 despite a fighting 60 from Rahmat Shah. Suthar broke through the lower order to record the second-best bowling figures by an Indian on Test debut.When Afghanistan were asked to follow on, they put up some resistance through Abdul Malik and Siddiqullah Atal, who added 42 runs for the opening wicket. Atal looked comfortable during his knock of 42, but India’s bowlers gradually tightened their grip on the contest.Mohammed Siraj provided the breakthrough before Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav joined the wicket-taking spree. Afghanistan fell from 74/1 to 98/5 when Sundar removed Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Atal.India completes historic winThe visitors never recovered from the collapse. Suthar added another wicket, Sundar finished with four wickets in the innings and Kuldeep cleaned up the tail as Afghanistan were bowled out for 112.The emphatic victory gave India their biggest ever win in Test cricket in terms of innings and runs.While the home team dominated with both bat and ball, it was a simple gesture by a young ball boy towards Gill that captured the imagination of fans and became one of the most talked about moments of an unforgettable Test match.