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- IND vs AFG Live Score, One-Off Test Match Day 3: India spinners look to wrap up Afghanistan innings early
IND vs AFG Live Score, One-Off Test Match Day 3: India spinners look to wrap up Afghanistan innings early
Suthar's performance was notable not just for the wickets but for the manner in which he claimed them. Relying on flight, loop and subtle variations rather than defensive lines, the Rajasthan spinner troubled the Afghanistan batters throughout his spell. Skipper Shubman Gill trusted the youngster with a long spell from one end, and Suthar rewarded that faith with the wickets of Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Afsar Zazai.
India's dominance was built on another strong batting effort. Rishabh Pant answered his critics with a fluent 81, blending restraint with aggression, while Gill's 126 and Washington Sundar's unbeaten fifty helped India post an imposing total. Suthar also contributed a useful 28 during a 54-run stand with Washington. For Afghanistan, Mohammad Saleem battled admirably in scorching conditions to claim 6 for 140, but the visitors struggled against India's disciplined bowling attack. With a lead of 451 runs and half the opposition side already back in the pavilion, India have one hand firmly on the match heading into the third day.
Prasidh Krishna to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT! b Prasidh Krishna.
Prasidh Krishna to Azmatullah Omarzai, Delivers it on a back of a length, on middle. A bit of nip back into the right-hander and Omarzai is solid in defence.
Rahmat Shah can be seen intentionally blocking the ball with his bat ahead of his pad, working on his previous habit of keeping his bat behind his pads, which frequently left him vulnerable to LBW dismissals.
- Rahmat Shah 48 (98)
- Azmatullah Omarzai 0 (8)
Manav Suthar to Rahmat Shah, Shah goes back to a fuller ball, on the off stump but manages to keep it out.
Manav Suthar to Rahmat Shah, Pulls the length back now, on off. Shah punches it to cover.
Manav Suthar to Rahmat Shah, FOUR! Good use of the feet. Suthar offers flight and keeps it slower through the air, Shah advances to get to the pitch of the ball and strokes it all along the ground to the left of the diving mid off fielder for a four.
Manav Suthar to Rahmat Shah, A bit too full, on middle. Shah eases it to mid off.
Manav Suthar to Rahmat Shah, Floated up now, on off. Shah leans on and defends with the bat close to the front pad. A bit of extra bounce results in the ball catching the splice of the bat and dropping in front of silly point.
Manav Suthar to Rahmat Shah, Fractionally short, on off. Rahmat rocks back for the cut and hits it straight to cover.
- Azmatullah Omarzai 0 (8)
- Rahmat Shah 44 (92)
Prasidh Krishna to Azmatullah Omarzai, Bashes the hard length, over off with a short leg in place. Azmatullah Omarzai stands tall and dabs it down to gully.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, First run of Day 3. Dug in short, over middle. Shah swivels and gets his hands high to pull it down to deep fine leg for a single.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Hits the back of a length, around off. Shah hangs back and taps it back to the bowler.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Fuller in length now, on middle. Shah knocks it to mid off.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Beaten! At 132.4 kph, angled in before nipping away. Rahmat presents a straight bat to cover the line but is beaten on the outside edge.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Krishna hurls it on a short of a length, outside off. Shah drives it on the up to cover.
- Azmatullah Omarzai 0 (7)
- Rahmat Shah 43 (87)
Manav Suthar to Azmatullah Omarzai, Quicker through the air but the length stays full, on off. Omarzai dabs it down by getting forward. A maiden by Suthar, his 9th of the innings.
Manav Suthar to Azmatullah Omarzai, Gives a bit of air, full and on off. Azmatullah lunges to keep it out. The ball bounces in front of silly point.
Manav Suthar to Azmatullah Omarzai, Pushes it through, full and on middle. This is driven to mid off.
Manav Suthar to Azmatullah Omarzai, Slows it down and tosses it up, on off. Azmatullah pushes it to cover.
Manav Suthar to Azmatullah Omarzai, Attacking the front pad, on a length. Azmatullah Omarzai brings his bat out in front for the block.
Manav Suthar to Azmatullah Omarzai, Floated up, on off, this keeps straight and Omarzai gets forward to defend.
- Rahmat Shah 43 (87)
- Azmatullah Omarzai 0 (1)
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, In and around the off stump, on a short of a length. Rahmat stabs it down on the off side.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Oh, that could have gone anywhere. Slanting back in, on a back of a length, on middle. Shah pushes at the ball out in front of his body. The ball nips back to catch the inside before lobbing up off the thigh pad. It drops safely beside the strip on the leg side.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Drags the length back a bit and this is angled into the pads. Rahmat clips but can't get it past Shubman Gill at a catching mid-wicket.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Stays on the fuller side, outside off. Shah extends his hands for the drive but miscues it towards mid off.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Pushes the length further now and finds a bit of reverse swing, on middle. Rahmat digs it out.
Prasidh Krishna to Rahmat Shah, Starts well, does Prasidh. Nice and full, attacking the stumps. Shah gets behind the line for the block but it goes off the inner half to square leg.
Prasidh Krishna will operate from the other end.
- Azmatullah Omarzai 0 (1)
- Rahmat Shah 43 (81)
Manav Suthar to Azmatullah Omarzai, Begins from around the wicket, short and on middle. A bit of turn and Omarzai hangs back to defend.
All in readiness for action on Day 3 to commence. India's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has been given the honour of ringing the bell before the start of play. The two umpires lead the way, followed by Shubman Gill and his troops. Azmatullah Omarzai is the new batter for Afghanistan, with Rahmat Shah present at the other end. Manav Suthar has one ball left in his over. Two slips and a silly point await. Let's go...
A quick chat with India's all-rounder - Washington Sundar speaks about his adaptability, focusing entirely on fulfilling whatever batting role the team demands to ensure they benefit in any given game situation. Transitioning from the IPL to Test cricket, Sundar says that it requires significant mental and physical preparation. Sundar praises Manav Suthar as a future matchwinner, highlighting his exceptional ability to put his entire body into every delivery.
PITCH REPORT - Former Australian captain, Michael Clarke, believes the surface still looks almost brand new, and he is impressed by how well the pitch has held together, despite the intense heat over the first two days. He observes a few footmarks developing that could become a factor as the match progresses. Clarke expects even more assistance for the spinners on Day 3 and also feels the surface could begin to keep a little lower as the game wears on. Former India wicketkeeper, Deep Dasgupta, echoes those sentiments, stressing that application against spin will be crucial, with the pitch expected to become progressively slower and lower over time.
Afghanistan's mountain to climb - Afghanistan find themselves in a precarious position, staring at a steep uphill battle. With half their side back in the hut, the visitors still trail India by a massive 451 runs. Experienced campaigner Rahmat Shah is fighting a lonely battle, but the road ahead on a deteriorating, spin-friendly track looks treacherous. To avoid the ignominy of a follow-on, Afghanistan must reach 365 in their first innings. Facing relentless pressure, the lower-order batters will need immense discipline to survive the challenging morning session on Day 3. While Suthar has successfully weaponised the turning ball from one end, wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav will be eager to leave his mark on Day 3. Stick around as the start of play is not far away.
Dream debut for Suthar - When India declared, the focus immediately shifted to their bowling line-up, and 23-year-old debutant Manav Suthar spectacularly stole the spotlight. Handed his maiden Test cap by Kuldeep Yadav, the young left-arm spinner from Rajasthan looked at home on the international stage from his very first over. Operating with a classical diagonal run-up, exceptional overspin, and a brisk pace, Suthar choked the run flow and extracted an astonishing degree of turn. He dismissed opener Abdul Malik on just his fourth delivery in international cricket and went on to claim the scalps of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Afsar Zazai. Spinning a relentless web around the batters, Suthar ended Day 2 with stellar figures of 3/21 in 15.5 overs.
Welcome, everyone! The opening two days of the one-off Test match have seen Team India exhibit complete dominance over a trailing Afghanistan side. After electing to bat first, the hosts put on a clinical batting masterclass to post a gargantuan first-innings total of 564/8 declared. Centuries from captain Shubman Gill and seasoned campaigner KL Rahul anchored the mammoth innings. Dynamic contributions further amplified the onslaught, with Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant both playing fluent knocks of 81, followed by Washington Sundar's crucial unbeaten 52. Afghanistan's bowlers toiled hard in punishing heat, but barring a phenomenal maiden six-wicket haul from pacer Mohammad Saleem, they struggled to stem the flow of runs.
... DAY 3, SESSION 1 ...
According to PTI, Manav's father Jagdish Suthar, a retired Physical Education teacher from Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district, had travelled to Mullanpur along with his wife and daughter Mansi to watch the left-arm spinner receive his maiden Test cap. However, the family returned home before the second day's play because of nerves and superstition.
Manav repaid the faith shown in him by India's team management with an outstanding spell of 3/21 in 15.5 overs, leaving Afghanistan struggling in their first innings.
"Manav Suthar has certainly made an impressive start to his Test career. What stood out was not just his bowling, but also the confidence he showed with the bat, particularly in the way he used his feet and looked comfortable at the crease. With the ball, he was extremely accurate and consistently put the batters under pressure," he said.
Gavaskar also praised the young left-arm spinner for making full use of the assistance on offer from the surface. However, he pointed out that a sterner examination awaits on flatter tracks, where success demands greater variation and adaptability from spinners.
"Having said that, this was a highly encouraging debut, and he has shown the attributes to be a strong contender at the Test level going forward," he said.
Saleem struck early on the second morning by removing Gill with a superb delivery that pitched up and moved away enough to find the edge. He later accounted for Dhruv Jurel with a reverse-swinging delivery that crashed into the stumps after the batter decided to leave the ball.
Omarzai too bowled with plenty of heart and was unlucky not to have better figures despite creating several chances. However, Afghanistan's bowlers lacked support and their batters struggled to cope with India's disciplined attack. Facing a daunting deficit of 451 runs, the visitors will need something extraordinary on Day Three to avoid a heavy defeat.
Pant looked set for another Test hundred but perished against off-spinner Hashmatullah Shahidi while trying to accelerate. Charging down the track, he failed to reach the pitch of the ball and offered a simple catch to Azmatullah Omarzai.
The sparse Sunday crowd had expected more fireworks from the left-hander once the spinners came on, making his dismissal a disappointing moment. Nevertheless, his innings once again underlined his value in the longest format and helped India stretch their dominance over Afghanistan in the contest.
After bowling several deliveries that went straight, Suthar tempted Gurbaz into defending one that dipped late and turned away, taking the edge through to Sai Sudharsan at second slip. His third victim, Afsar Zazai, fell to another cleverly disguised delivery that stopped on the surface and forced a leading edge back to the bowler.
Throughout the spell, Gill backed the youngster with long spells from one end while rotating his other bowlers. Suthar responded magnificently, producing a performance that highlighted both skill and temperament on debut.
Television pitch maps showed his remarkable consistency as he repeatedly landed the ball in the same area but extracted different results. Some deliveries turned sharply, others bounced extra while a few skidded through as arm balls. His repetitive action and ability to deceive batters in the air made him a delight to watch.
If his debut performance is any indication, Indian selectors can feel reassured about a smooth transition whenever Ravindra Jadeja eventually steps away from Test cricket.
The declaration came immediately after Washington reached his fifty, with Gill deciding that the bowlers had enough runs to work with.
Earlier in the morning, captain Gill added only a few runs to his overnight score before falling for a well-made 126. Dhruv Jurel played some attractive strokes but departed for 19. Despite regular wickets, India maintained their dominance through useful contributions down the order. Their imposing total left Afghanistan with a huge task and ensured that the pressure firmly remained on the visitors from the moment they began their reply.
The 23-year-old from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan returned figures of 3 for 21 in 15.5 overs as Afghanistan ended the day struggling at 113 for 5, still 451 runs behind India's massive first-innings total.
Suthar's maiden Test appearance offered a glimpse into India's spin-bowling future, with his ability to extract drift, turn and bounce standing out.
Skipper Shubman Gill showed immense faith in the youngster, allowing him to bowl unchanged for long spells. Prasidh Krishna complemented him well with figures of 2 for 27. With Afghanistan already under severe pressure, India will head into Day Three hoping to wrap up the innings quickly and push for a comprehensive victory.
Afghanistan's uphill task - India's 564 is a long way away for Afghanistan, and their priority will be to avoid the follow-on, for which they still require another 252 runs. A lot will rest on Rahmat Shah to provide the resistance and bat deep into the innings if the visitors are to have any hope of narrowing the deficit. To add to Afghanistan's troubles, they could also be without all-rounder Sharafuddin Ashraf, who left the field with an injury on Day 1 and has not taken the field since. Shubman Gill will ask more of the same from his bowlers on Day 3 as India look to tighten their grip even further. The first ball will be bowled at 9.30 am IST (4 am GMT). We look forward to having your company then. Goodbye and take care!
A tough reply - The bowling effort for Afghanistan was led by Mohammad Saleem, who charged in relentlessly despite the draining conditions and finished with six wickets. In reply, the visitors' troubles began almost immediately once Manav Suthar was introduced. The left-arm spinner struck with his fourth ball in Test cricket, and it only got better for him while Prasidh Krishna chipped in with a couple of wickets of his own. Rahmat Shah looked the most assured of the Afghan batters against spin on a surface that continued to ask questions.
Missed chances, heavy cost - As India resumed on 368/3, Afghanistan's best chance of keeping the hosts in check lay with the second new ball, but they were left to rue their decision-making with the DRS. Twice in two balls, first Shubman Gill and then Rishabh Pant survived appeals that would have been overturned had Afghanistan opted to review. Those reprieves allowed Gill and Pant to march on and further strengthen India's position. Even after the pair departed, there was no respite for the visitors as India's lower middle order chipped in to take them to 564 before declaring in the second session.
Let's hear from the debutant - Manav Suthar says that he was looking to back his strength and hit the right areas as the wicket is conducive for the spinners. Adds that he was looking to turn the ball and hit a consistent spot, which helped him. Manav shares that playing for India is a dream come true, and it feels good to contribute for the side, but there is still a lot left to be done.
India tighten their grip - A wicket in the dying embers caps off another commanding day for Shubman Gill and his men. Afghanistan continue to face an uphill battle in this Test as India first piled on the misery with the bat and then backed it up with the ball.
Manav Suthar to Afsar Zazai, OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Afsar Zazai stands there in disbelief. Another one drifting into the batter, and turning away after pitching. This kept low as well. Zazai rocks onto his back foot and looks to play the pull. Gets a leading edge towards the bowler. Manav Suthar moves to his right, settles himself underneath it and holds onto it for his 3rd wicket. This will also be STUMPS ON DAY 2.
The 23-year-old from Rajasthan made an instant impact in his maiden Test appearance, showcasing old-school virtues of flight, drift and turn. Suthar dismissed Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Afsar Zazai during a spell that underlined why Indian cricket can look forward to life after Ravindra Jadeja. His ability to repeatedly hit the same area while extracting different kinds of movement stood out on a surface offering assistance.
Earlier, India resumed in a strong position and batted deep. Washington Sundar remained unbeaten on 52 and added 54 runs with Suthar (28) before captain Shubman Gill declared. Rishabh Pant played a measured innings of 81 but fell while trying to accelerate, missing out on a hundred. Mohammad Saleem was Afghanistan's standout performer with a six-wicket haul, removing Gill for 126 and finishing with figures of 6 for 140. However, with Afghanistan already five down, India are firmly placed to push for an innings victory on Day Three.
Match Statistics
Venue
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur
