NEW CHANDIGARH, India — In a stunning display of skill, debutant spinner Manav Suthar led India to a commanding victory against Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs on day three of their one-off Test match.
Suthar was exceptional, taking 6 wickets for just 33 runs in Afghanistan’s first innings. This performance gave India a massive 412-run advantage. In the second innings, he added one more wicket, finishing with figures of 7 for 62 overall.
After India enforced a follow-on, Washington Sundar picked up 4 wickets for 36 runs, while Kuldeep Yadav took 3 wickets for 30 runs, bundling out Afghanistan for just 112 runs in 35.5 overs.
India set a strong base by scoring 564 runs for 8 wickets in their first innings, while Afghanistan struggled to reach 152 earlier on day three. This win marks India’s largest victory margin in Test history, with only West Indies achieving a greater win on Indian soil when they defeated India by an innings and 336 runs in Kolkata back in 1958.
Afghanistan began the day with a score of 113 for 5 but quickly lost Azmatullah Omarzai, who fell to Prasidh Krishna’s bowling (who took 3 wickets for 37 runs). Suthar then made quick work of the Afghanistan batting order, capturing two wickets in just two overs. He had Sharafuddin Ashraf caught behind and clean-bowled Rahmat Shah, achieving a remarkable five-wicket haul in his very first Test match.
Suthar’s 6 for 33 is the second-best performance by an Indian on Test debut, following Narendra Hirwani’s remarkable 8 for 61 against West Indies in 1988. He also became only the second Indian spinner to take five wickets in his first Test innings, joining Amit Mishra, who had taken 5 for 71 against Australia in 2008.
Rahmat Shah stood out for Afghanistan, scoring 60 runs off 135 balls, a noteworthy achievement as it marked the first Test half-century for an Afghan batter against India.
Afghanistan’s innings ended before lunch, losing their last five wickets for just 39 runs. The second innings didn’t bring any improvement as they started off well with openers Sediqullah Atal scoring 42 off 80 balls. However, they lost momentum quickly, collapsing from a score of 74 for 1 to 112 all out in just 15.5 overs after tea.
The Indian bowlers, particularly Yadav and Sundar, took control, sharing seven wickets between them. Rahmat Shah managed just 13 runs, with no other batter crossing the double-digit mark.
This match is only the second Test encounter between India and Afghanistan. India had previously hosted Afghanistan’s first Test in Bengaluru, winning decisively by an innings and 262 runs.
