Suthar’s debut three-for puts Afghanistan in trouble after India’s 564
Debutant spinner Manav Suthar took three wickets to leave Afghanistan at 113 for five, still 451 runs behind, after India declared their first innings on 564 for eight in New Chandigarh.
Jun 7, 2026
Manav Suthar did not have to wait long to announce himself. The left-arm spinner, a surprise pick for the one-off Test in New Chandigarh, struck with the fourth ball of his international career on Sunday and finished the day with three wickets, leaving Afghanistan at 113 for five and trailing India by 451 runs at stumps.
India had set up the position earlier in the day, declaring their first innings on 564 for eight after Shubman Gill (126) and KL Rahul (100) laid the platform on day one. Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant both made 81, and Washington Sundar saw the lower order through with an unbeaten 52 before Gill called his batters in.
A debut to remember for Suthar
Suthar was handed his Test cap in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, who was rested for this match, and he repaid the selectors almost immediately. His fourth delivery accounted for opener Abdul Malik for 16, and he returned after tea to remove Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Afsar Zazai. His figures of three for 21 from 15.5 overs were the standout of a session in which Afghanistan slid from a solid start to genuine trouble.
Prasidh Krishna supported him with two wickets, trapping Hashmatullah Shahidi lbw for 20 and accounting for the other opener, Sediqullah Atal. Once Malik went at the stroke of tea, four more wickets followed after the interval, the kind of slide a total of 564 tends to invite.
Rahmat Shah holds firm
Rahmat Shah offered the lone note of resistance, ending the day unbeaten on 43 and becoming the first Afghanistan batter to pass 1,000 runs in Test cricket along the way. His was the innings that stopped the deficit from becoming even more daunting before the close, though the scale of the task is plain enough with three days still to play and the follow-on firmly in India’s thinking.
Afghanistan will at least take heart from their own bowling effort. Mohammad Saleem Safi was the pick of their attack, claiming six wickets as India batted, a return that kept the innings from running away even further. The problem now is that their batting has to find the same fight across a much longer haul.
India, for their part, will resume on day three knowing the match is theirs to lose. A lead of 451 with five wickets in hand for the opposition gives Gill the luxury of choosing how to apply the pressure, and a young spinner who already looks at home in the format.