New Chandigarh: India completed their most dominant Test victory by margin on Sunday, crushing Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs inside three days after a commanding all-round performance spearheaded by centuries from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul and a match-winning bowling effort from debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar.
Having piled up a mammoth 564/8 before declaring their first innings, India bundled Afghanistan out for 152 and then 112 after enforcing the follow-on, surpassing their previous biggest Test victory and underlining their dominance.
Facing a mountain of runs, Afghanistan’s first innings never truly gathered momentum. Opener Abdul Malik and Sediqullah Atal showed brief resistance, but wickets fell regularly as India’s bowlers tightened their hold. The only substantial challenge came from Rahmat Shah, who fought a lonely battle with a determined 60 from 135 deliveries.
The innings, however, belonged to Suthar. The debutant exploited the surface expertly, varying his pace and trajectory to consistently trouble the batters. He dismissed Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Afsar Zazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf and Saleem Safi to finish with outstanding figures of 6 for 33 from 22 miserly overs. Prasidh Krishna provided excellent support with 3 for 37 as Afghanistan were bowled out for 152.
With a lead of 412 runs, Gill had little hesitation in enforcing the follow-on. To Afghanistan’s credit, their response was significantly more positive. Sediqullah Atal took the attack to the spinners and struck an enterprising 42, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz contributed a brisk 24 as the visitors raced to 42 without loss and briefly forced India to work harder for breakthroughs.
The opening stand represented Afghanistan’s best passage of the match and momentarily delayed the inevitable. India eventually found the breakthrough through Mohammed Siraj, whose persistence was rewarded when Abdul Malik was trapped lbw. Once the first wicket fell, the innings unravelled rapidly.
Kuldeep Yadav removed the dangerous Gurbaz before Washington Sundar produced a decisive spell after tea. Sundar dismissed Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai while consistently extracting drift and turn. The off-spinner’s control allowed India to tighten the screws as Afghanistan lost four wickets for just 24 runs during the middle session.
Manav Suthar added another wicket to cap a memorable debut Test, trapping Afsar Zazai lbw, while Kuldeep wrapped up the tail with three wickets, including the final dismissal of Saleem Safi. Sharafuddin Ashraf, nursing an injury, did not bat, bringing the match to a close at 112 all out in 35.5 overs.
Sundar finished with 4 for 36 in the innings and five wickets in the match to go with his valuable half-century, underlining his all-round impact. Kuldeep returned 3 for 30, while Siraj and Suthar chipped in with one wicket apiece.
The victory was India’s largest in Test cricket by margin, eclipsing previous records and showcasing the depth of a side that dominated every phase of the contest. Gill’s century, Rahul’s hundred, valuable contributions from Sudharsan, Pant and Sundar, and Suthar’s seven-wicket match haul ensured India controlled proceedings from the first session to the last. IANS
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