Mullanpur, June 7 — Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar stole the show on day two of the one-off Test as his three wickets gave India firm control over Afghanistan. India declared their first innings on 564 for 8 after Washington Sundar posted a pressure-free half-century and put on a useful 54-run partnership with Suthar, who made 28 off 41 balls. At stumps Afghanistan were 113 for 5, trailing by 451 runs, with Suthar finishing with figures of 3 for 21 in 15.5 overs.
Suthar, 23, impressed immediately after being handed the ball before tea, removing opener Abdul Malik with a straight delivery that bounced a touch and found the edge. His classical action, an old-school diagonal run-up to right-handers and high release point combined to produce flight, drift and noticeable revolutions on the ball.
Television pitch maps showed Suthar landing the ball repeatedly in the same channel yet extracting different rewards: some deliveries turned sharply, others stayed on with extra bounce, and a few arm-balls came back into the right-hander. He also trapped Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a late-dipping delivery that nicked to second slip and accounted for Afsar Zazai with a delivery that stopped and popped up for an easy return catch.
Skipper Shubman Gill kept faith with Suthar, allowing him to bowl unchanged from one end for 13 overs while rotating Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav at the other. Prasidh provided support with 2 for 27 in seven overs, helping India build a substantial first-innings total.
Rishabh Pant answered his critics with a stroke-filled 81 off 121 balls, featuring six boundaries and three sixes. Pant curbed some of his natural aggression and picked his moments, but his bid for a century ended when debutant left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote slowed the pace; Pant charged down the track, missed, and the lofted shot ballooned to a fielder.
Afghanistan pacer Mohammad Saleem enjoyed a heavy workload in sweltering conditions, finishing with 6 for 140 and also delivering the ball that dismissed Gill for 126 (177 balls). Saleem’s fuller-length off-stump delivery induced an outside edge to end a 169-run stand for the hosts’ captain.
Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai was unlucky with the second new ball, troubling batsmen and beating the bat on several occasions without reward. There was also an unappealed edge to Pant, which replays later showed as a snick, echoing a similar missed chance on Day 1 involving KL Rahul.
Suthar’s composed debut and classical left-arm craft offered a glimpse of a potential long-term option for India’s red-ball setup, prompting talk that selectors may have a ready hand as Ravindra Jadeja’s Test career is eventually phased out. (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/06/08/batters-suthar-shine-as-afghanistan-trail-india-by-451-runs-at-stumps/
Category: SPORTS
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Publish Date: 2026-06-08 06:34:00
