Debutant Manav Suthar Shines as India Tighten Grip on Afghanistan in One-Off Test

New Chandigarh, June 2026 : India tightened their hold on the one-off Test against Afghanistan with a commanding all-round performance on the second day, declaring their first innings at a mammoth 564/8 before reducing the visitors to 113/5 by stumps. Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar emerged as the star with the ball, claiming impressive figures of 3/21 and leaving Afghanistan still trailing by 451 runs.

Resuming their innings from a dominant overnight position, India continued to pile on the runs before skipper Shubman Gill decided to declare the innings shortly after Washington Sundar completed a well-crafted half-century. Sundar remained unbeaten on 52, registering his sixth Test fifty, while Mohammed Siraj added valuable late-order runs with a quickfire 22 off just 12 deliveries.

India’s imposing total was built on several significant contributions throughout the innings. Captain Gill led from the front with a brilliant 126, while KL Rahul anchored the batting effort with a fluent century. Despite Afghanistan’s struggles with the ball, Mohammad Saleem Safi stood out with six wickets, finishing with figures of 6/140.

With a huge total on the board, India’s bowlers wasted little time in making inroads into Afghanistan’s batting line-up. The visitors attempted to counterattack in the early stages of their innings, but India’s disciplined bowling attack ensured they never gained momentum.

Afghanistan opener Abdul Malik looked positive during his brief stay at the crease, trying to unsettle the Indian bowlers with aggressive stroke play. However, Suthar struck early, using sharp turn and bounce to force a top-edge on a sweep shot. The catch was safely taken at backward square leg, giving the young spinner his maiden Test wicket.

After the tea interval, fast bowler Prasidh Krishna added to Afghanistan’s woes with a superb delivery that jagged back sharply to crash into Sediqullah Atal’s stumps. The dismissal further dented the visitors’ hopes of building a meaningful partnership.

Suthar continued to impress with his control and consistency. Bowling at a brisk pace and maintaining an accurate line, he kept the batters under constant pressure by delivering a series of maidens. His persistence paid off when wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz edged a delivery to slip, where a sharp catch completed another breakthrough.

Amid the collapse, Rahmat Shah provided some resistance for Afghanistan. The experienced batter remained unbeaten on 43 at stumps and achieved a significant personal milestone by becoming the first Afghan cricketer to score 1,000 runs in Test cricket. His determined effort offered the only bright spot in an otherwise difficult day for the visitors.

Rahmat and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi briefly steadied the innings with a 36-run partnership. However, Prasidh struck once again, trapping Shahidi leg-before-wicket to put India firmly in control. Suthar then capped off a memorable debut day when Afsar Zazai closed the face of his bat too early and offered a simple return catch to the spinner.

Supported by Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, India’s bowlers maintained relentless pressure throughout the innings. With only five wickets remaining and a massive deficit still to erase, Afghanistan now face an uphill battle to avoid the follow-on and stay alive in the match.

Brief Scores: India 564/8 declared in 127 overs; Afghanistan 113/5 in 39.5 overs, trailing by 451 runs.

Team Maverick