Rahul, Gill hit centuries as India dominate Afghanistan on opening day
A Historic Day in New Chandigarh
The city of New Chandigarh marked its entry into men’s Test cricket under scorching conditions, with temperatures soaring up to 40 degrees Celsius. India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first, anticipating that the pitch would deteriorate as the match progressed. However, the initial session proved to be a stern test of technique and patience for the Indian openers against a spirited Afghanistan side playing their first Test against India since their format debut back in 2018.
Afghanistan’s new-ball pairing of Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Saleem extracted surprising, uneven bounce off the fresh surface right from the start. They consistently hit back-of-a-length deliveries, moving the ball away from Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. Rahul, in particular, looked tentative early on, reaching for deliveries far from his body and mistiming several shots as he labored to 16 runs off 34 deliveries by the end of the tenth over. At the opposite end, Jaiswal was more proactive, capitalizing on fuller deliveries to move to 20 off 26 balls.
The Turn of Fortune and Jaiswal’s Fall
The course of the morning session could have changed drastically in the 11th over. Facing Ziaur Ahmed, Rahul flashed at a wide delivery and appeared to edge it to the wicketkeeper. While the bowler and keeper went up in unison with a passionate appeal, Afghanistan opted against reviewing the umpire’s not-out decision. Replays later confirmed that Rahul had indeed feathered the ball. Seizing this lifeline, Rahul adjusted his approach, leaving deliveries outside the off-stump and dead-batting the trickier, gripping deliveries.
However, India suffered their first setback in the very next over. Jaiswal, who had looked fluent, attempted to flick an inswinging delivery from Mohammad Saleem down the leg side but only succeeded in feathering it behind to the keeper. Jaiswal departed for a 32-ball 24, handing Saleem his maiden Test wicket and temporarily giving Afghanistan the upper hand.
Sai Sudharsan’s Elegant Resistance
With the departure of Jaiswal, B Sai Sudharsan joined Rahul at the crease. As the initial shine and swing of the new ball began to fade, the bounce became far more predictable. Sudharsan took immediate advantage of the flagging energy at the tail-end of Saleem and Omarzai’s opening spells, driving beautifully to collect three boundaries in his first 15 balls.
Though Sudharsan looked comfortable, he survived a scare in the 35th over when an edge off Ziaur flew between the keeper and first slip. He continued to build his innings meticulously, eyeing a debut Test century. However, on 81, Sudharsan fell victim to an expansive drive off Saleem. The resulting edge flew quickly into the slip cordon, where Afsar Zazai completed a stunning, one-handed diving catch to his left. This brought an end to a stellar 131-run partnership for the second wicket, leaving India at a solid position but needing to rebuild.
Centurions Align: Rahul and Gill Assert Dominance
As the afternoon progressed, the pitch began to offer more assistance to the spinners, with the ball gripping and turning. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi led the spin department with discipline, bowling slowly under 80 kph and using natural drift to keep the batters guessing. Despite his accuracy, Shahidi was unable to secure a breakthrough, with edges continuously falling short or wide of the fielders.
Debutants and part-timers struggled to maintain pressure. Nangeyalia Kharote almost got Sudharsan early in his spell, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz grassed a tough one-handed chance at first slip. Later on, Kharote and part-timer Abdul Malik repeatedly drifted onto the pads, allowing Shubman Gill to settle in. Gill, batting with immense authority, decimated the tired Afghan attack after the tea break. He executed his signature cover drives and late cuts with precision, racking up 11 boundaries and a maximum.
At the other end, Rahul steadily approached his milestone. In the 61st over, he flicked a full delivery off his pads to bring up his 12th Test century. However, his joy was short-lived. On the very next delivery, Rahul played a loose, away-from-the-body shot off Ziaur, sending a simple catch to short extra cover. He departed for exactly 100—marking the third time in his career he has been dismissed on this exact figure, a stat exceeded only by England’s Len Hutton.
Pant’s Fireworks and the Final Ascendancy
Rishabh Pant joined Gill for the final session, with India initially adopting a highly cautious approach to safeguard their strong position. Pant, playing in his landmark 50th Test match, uncharacteristically bided his time before unleashing his trademark aggression against Abdul Malik in the 68th over, launching three massive sixes off successive half-trackers.
With the day drawing to a close, Gill brought up his 11th Test century in the 83rd over, flicking Saleem to square leg to the delight of the New Chandigarh crowd. Afghanistan declined the second new ball, choosing to bowl through to stumps with the older, soft ball. Pant capitalized on the defensive fields in the final overs, bringing up his half-century off 70 balls on the second-to-last delivery of the day. India finished the day in a position of absolute dominance at 368 for 3, leaving Afghanistan with a monumental task ahead on Day 2.
