India came very close to a decisive win, but the biggest news on the third day was the emergence of a new spin wizard. Fans reacted to Manav Suthar wrecking Afghanistan on the third day of the one-off Test against New Chandigarh. Debutant Suthar produced a fantastic spell of bowling, taking figures of 6 for 33 from 22 overs that included 10 maidens, whereas his partner Prasidh added another three wickets, finishing with figures of 3 for 37, as Afghanistan were bowled out for just 152.
The stats revealed how much in control India was in the game. With 6 wickets in his debut Test match, Suthar joined the rare list of Indian spinners who had taken a five-wicket haul in their debut Test match. Besides, Suthar's figures were the best of the match, while Prasidh's 3 for 37 ensured that Afghanistan struggled right from the beginning. India thus managed to take a huge lead of 412 runs and enforced follow-on.
Afghanistan still trail by 325 runs with seven wickets remaining
India’s dominance was built on an imposing first-innings total of 564 for 8 declared. Captain Shubman Gill led the way with 126 from 177 balls, registering his sixth Test century as captain in only his ninth match in charge. The hundred also helped him cross 1,000 Test runs as skipper. KL Rahul added a composed 100, while Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant both scored 81.
Washington Sundar remained unbeaten on 52 to push India beyond the 550-run mark. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Saleem was the lone bright spot with the ball, returning figures of 6 for 140. Despite that effort, the visitors never managed to slow India’s scoring rate. The huge total immediately placed Afghanistan under pressure and left little room for recovery once India’s bowlers found their rhythm.
The response by Afghanistan was not to be seen as the wickets kept falling consistently during the innings. Rahmat Shah tried his best to get past the 50 mark by scoring 60 runs off 135 balls but found little assistance from the other end. Suthar made significant contributions to the Indian team with him sending back Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Afsar Zazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rahmat Shah, and Mohammad Saleem Safi.
The contributions of Prasidh Krishna were also significant in putting further dent in the middle and lower orders. After being forced to bat once more, Afghanistan is now at 87 for 3 wickets in their second innings and still trails by 325 runs. Already three more batters have been sent back to the pavilion by Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar. With only seven wickets left, Afghanistan remained under heavy pressure heading into the remainder of the Test.
