India Dominates Afghanistan in One-Off Test
In the one-off Test match taking place in New Chandigarh, Afghanistan’s fast bowler Mohammad Saleem made his mark by taking two wickets before lunch on Sunday. However, India continued to build their score, reaching 475-6 by the end of Day 2.
Washington Sundar was at the crease with 14 runs, alongside debutant Manav Suthar, who had scored nine runs, both remaining unbeaten as India added 107 runs after starting the day at 368-3.
Rishabh Pant, who aimed for a century, was dismissed for 81 runs, while the Indian captain Shubman Gill fell for 126. The two batsmen had formed a solid partnership, adding 169 runs for the fourth wicket, until Saleem had Gill caught behind with a delivery that was well-placed.
Saleem then dismissed Dhruv Jurel for 19 runs, bringing India’s score to 452-5. Pant had added 31 runs to his overnight total but was caught trying for a big hit off Afghanistan’s captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Afghanistan could have had a stronger outing if they had made better use of the umpire decision review system. Gill, who started the day with 103 not out, was hit on the pads by bowler Azmatullah Omarzai when he was on 108. The appeal for leg-before-wicket was turned down, and Afghanistan chose not to review, even though ball-tracking suggested the ball would have hit the stumps.
Pant, at 54, narrowly avoided getting out on the very next delivery after a close call when the ball passed the edge of his bat. Afghanistan again opted against a review, repeating their earlier mistakes. They had also missed an opportunity to review a caught-behind appeal against KL Rahul when he was on 16, a decision that would cost them as Rahul went on to score a century.
As day two wrapped up, India looked strong and in control of the match.
