After India declared their first innings on 564-8 in their one-off Test on Sunday, debutant spinner Manav Suthar took three wickets to weaken Afghanistan’s response.
On day two, Afghanistan was 113-5 at stumps after Afsar Zazai was caught and bowled for three by Suthar. Afghanistan was still behind India by 451 runs at New Chandigarh, but Rahmat Shah was unbeaten at 43.
Before India declared their first innings in the second session with Washington Sundar undefeated on 52, Afghanistan’s fast bowler Mohammad Saleem had already claimed six wickets.
After the hosts resumed on 368-3, the Indian innings’ high point was a fourth-wicket partnership of 169 between captain Shubman Gill (126) and Rishabh Pant (81).
On the stroke of tea, Afghanistan got off to a rough start when left-arm spinner Suthar removed opener Abdul Malik for 16 with his fourth delivery in Test cricket. Before 23-year-old Suthar caught Rahmanullah Gurbaz at second slip for 12, pacer Prasidh Krishna dismissed Sediqullah Atal for 17.
After that, Shah tried to stabilize the innings with Hashmatullah Shahidi, who had been trapped leg before for 20 by Krishna. Saleem, 23, claimed his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket after hitting twice in the morning session and dismissing Suthar for 28 after lunch.
In just his second Test, he impressed by bowling at speeds of over 140 km/h (86.9 mph). Mohammed Siraj and left-hander Sundar launched an assault to increase India’s total. Before Saleem bowled him, Siraj hit rookie left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote for a four and two sixes in a single over.
Earlier, Saleem caught the Indian captain off guard with a ball that kept its line, breaking the stand between Gill and Pant.
Wicketkeeper Pant was aiming for a century when he was caught at long-off while attempting a huge shot off Shahidi, adding 31 runs to his overnight total. Afghanistan repeatedly neglected to review questionable decisions, making it even more difficult.
Pacer Azmatullah Omarzai hit Gill on the pads after he had only scored five runs to his overnight total of 103. Although ball-tracking technology indicated the delivery would have struck the leg stump, Afghanistan did not request a review after Gill was declared not out.
Even though ball-tracking revealed that Omarzai had caught a slight edge, Pant, on 54, also survived the subsequent ball, and Afghanistan once more decided against a review.
