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India outclassed Afghanistan in the recently concluded one-off Test to clinch their biggest-ever win in the format. The Shubman Gill-led side beat Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.
India won the toss and chose to bat first. Skipper Gill (126 off 177) and senior batter KL Rahul (100 off 165) helped the hosts post a massive total with brilliant centuries. Rishabh Pant (81 off 121) and Washington Sundar (52* off 68) also played impressive knocks as the side declared on 564/8.
Mohammad Saleem Safi was the pick of the Afghan bowlers with a six-wicket haul. The visitors failed to put up a strong fight with the bat. They were bundled out for just 152. Rahmat Shah finished with a gritty 60 off 135 but didn’t get enough support from the rest of the batters.
Debutant Manav Suthar shone with the ball, bagging six wickets. India enforced the follow-on with a huge 412-run first-innings lead. Afghanistan were folded for just 112 in the subsequent essay. Opener Sediqullah Atal (42 off 80) was the only batter to cross the 25-run mark in the innings.
Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav picked up four and three wickets, respectively. India wrapped up the match inside three days with a dominant performance. Suthar was declared the Player of the Match for his wonderful bowling exploits. He took seven wickets across two innings.
Here, we look at three moments from the Test that generated a buzz among the fans:
#3 Shubman Gill takes a sharp low catch to end Hashmatullah Shahidi’s knock
Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi failed to impress in the team’s second innings. The left-handed batter scored just five runs off 10 balls before falling to Washington Sundar in the 27th over.
Bowling from around the wicket, Sundar bowled a full delivery on the off stump. Shahidi misread the length and went on the back foot. The ball spun sharply, taking the outside edge of the southpaw’s bat as he looked to defend.
The ball just about carried to Gill at first slip, who plucked out a fantastic low catch to send his opposite number back to the pavilion. Watch the video here:
#2 Prasidh Krishna cleans up Sediqullah Atal with 143 kph nip-backer to claim first Test wicket on Indian soil
Prasidh Krishna claimed his first Test wicket on Indian soil with a stunning delivery to Afghan opener Sediqullah Atal (12 off 27) on Day 2. The right-arm pacer went around the wicket for the left-handed batter.
The fast bowler dished out a 143 kph pitched-up delivery on the off stump in the ninth over of Afghanistan’s first innings. Atal went for the front foot defense, but was undone by the movement as the ball nipped back in and rattled the stumps.
Watch the video here:
#1 Stump mic catches Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj’s hilarious interaction
Rishabh Pant’s stump mic comments once again garnered attention. He was chirpy throughout the match, and his funny interaction with Mohammed Siraj left fans in splits.
The incident took place on Day 3. Pant can be heard telling someone to shine the ball properly. Siraj assumed that the comments were for him and instantly replied that he was shining the ball properly.
The seamer hilariously apologized after Pant responded by saying that the instructions were for some other player. Watch the clip here:
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai
