Manav Suthar’s 3/21 Leaves Afghanistan Reeling In One-Off Test

Picture Credit: BCCI

India strengthened their position in the one-off Test against Afghanistan after declaring their first innings at 564/8 and reducing the visitors to 113/5 at stumps on the second day.

Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar emerged as the standout performer, returning figures of 3-21 from 15.5 overs as Afghanistan ended the day still trailing by 451 runs.

The hosts added useful runs in the morning session before skipper Shubman Gill declared the innings.

Washington Sundar remained unbeaten on 52, registering his sixth Test half-century, while Mohammed Siraj provided late fireworks with a quickfire 22 off 12 deliveries.

Afghanistan’s response got off to a shaky start as Abdul Malik attempted to counterattack but top-edged a sweep off Suthar to backward square leg.

Soon after the tea break, Prasidh Krishna produced a sharp nip-backer to dismiss Sediqullah Atal and further dent the visitors’ hopes.

Suthar maintained relentless accuracy and control, bowling several maidens and keeping the pressure firmly on Afghanistan. His persistence paid off again when Rahmanullah Gurbaz edged to slip, where a sharp catch completed the dismissal.

Rahmat Shah offered the only significant resistance for Afghanistan, remaining unbeaten on 43 at stumps. In the process, he became the first Afghan batter to cross the 1,000-run mark in Test cricket.

A 36-run partnership between Rahmat and Hashmatullah Shahidi briefly steadied the innings, but Prasidh Krishna struck again to trap Shahidi lbw.

Afsar Zazai’s stay also ended when he offered a simple return catch to Suthar, giving the debutant his third wicket of the innings.

With Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav also maintaining pressure from the other end, Afghanistan struggled to find momentum and now faces a daunting challenge to avoid the follow-on.