One-off Test, Day 3: India enforce follow-on as debutant Suthar spins Afghanistan into trouble

New Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], June 8 (ANI): India tightened their grip on the one-off Test against Afghanistan by enforcing the follow-on after bowling the visitors out for 152 in their first innings, with debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar starring with a sensational six-wicket haul during the opening session of Day 3 here on Monday.

At lunch, Afghanistan had moved to 18 without loss in their second innings, with openers Sediqullah Atal and Abdul Malik adopting an aggressive approach after being asked to bat again. The visitors, however, still trail India by 394 runs.

Resuming the day at 113 for 5, Afghanistan’s hopes of narrowing the deficit were quickly dashed as India’s bowlers wrapped up the innings in 58.4 overs. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna provided the early breakthrough of the morning, dismissing Azmatullah Omarzai without adding to the overnight score.

The session then belonged entirely to Suthar, who produced a memorable spell on his Test debut. The 23-year-old left-arm spinner removed Sharafuddin Ashraf for 11 before ending the resistance of Rahmat Shah (60 off 135 balls), Afghanistan’s top scorer, and completed his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Suthar continued to trouble the visitors with his accuracy and control, trapping Mohammad Saleem Safi LBW and finished with outstanding figures of 6 for 33 from 22 overs. Prasidh Krishna took three wickets, whereas Washington Sundar picked the last wicket of Ziaur Rahman Sharifi to restrict the visitors’ first innings.

Suthar’s performance helped India secure a commanding first-innings lead of 412 runs and prompted skipper Shubman Gill to enforce the follow-on.

Suthar’s figures are the second-best by an Indian bowler on Test debut, behind Narendra Hirwani’s 8 for 61 against the West Indies in Chennai in 1988. He also became only the 10th Indian bowler and seventh spinner from the country to claim a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test appearance.

The Rajasthan all-rounder entered the match on the back of impressive domestic performances. In 29 first-class matches, he has claimed 129 wickets at an average of 25.76 while also scoring 1,026 runs. His recent exploits included an eight-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy and a strong showing against Australia A, performances that earned him a long-awaited international opportunity.

With Afghanistan already facing a massive deficit and India maintaining complete control of proceedings, the hosts will look for early breakthroughs in the post-lunch session to push for a victory inside four days. (ANI)

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