India’s dominance over Afghanistan continued on Day 3 of the one-off Test in Mullanpur as debutant spinner Manav Suthar produced a spell to remember. After impressing on the second day with three crucial wickets, the Rajasthan all-rounder returned on Monday morning and further strengthened his growing reputation with a sensational bowling display.
Afghanistan resumed their innings hoping to reduce the massive deficit, with Rahmat Shah leading the resistance through a determined knock. However, Suthar proved too difficult to handle as he repeatedly troubled the visitors with his accuracy, drift, and sharp turn.
Manav Suthar dismisses Rahmat Shah to seal memorable five-for
Having already removed Sharafuddin Ashraf earlier in the session, Suthar entered his next over needing just one more wicket to complete a five-wicket haul on debut. The landmark moment came against Rahmat, who had battled hard for Afghanistan and brought up a gritty half-century while attempting to hold the innings together.
Suthar tossed up a full delivery that pitched around leg stump and tempted Rahmat into playing an expansive sweep shot. The batter failed to get underneath the ball properly as it turned in sharply after pitching. Beaten completely by the flight and length, Rahmat missed the shot altogether before the ball crashed into the stumps.
The dismissal brought an end to Rahmat’s fighting innings of 60 and triggered emotional celebrations from the debutant spinner. Teammates quickly surrounded Suthar as he completed a memorable five-wicket haul in his very first Test appearance. The wicket further highlighted the youngster’s composure and control under pressure, with Afghanistan finding no answers to his relentless accuracy throughout the innings.
Here’s the video:
The fifth one always hits different 🌟
A moment Manav Suthar will replay for the rest of his life 🎞️
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Suthar’s six-wicket haul helps India claim victory
The wicket of Rahmat was not the end of Suthar’s heroics. The left-arm spinner struck again in the same over to finish with magnificent figures of 6/33 from 22 overs, registering the second-best bowling figures by an Indian on Test debut. Only Narendra Hirwani’s legendary 8/61 against the West Indies in 1988 remains ahead of him.
Afghanistan were eventually bowled out for just 152 in response to India’s imposing first-innings total of 564/8 declared. Earlier, captain Shubman Gill had led the batting charge with a superb 126, while KL Rahul scored 100 and Rishabh Pant contributed an entertaining 81 to put the hosts in a commanding position.
After Suthar’s 6 for 33 helped dismiss Afghanistan for 152 in the first innings, India enforced the follow-on with a 412-run lead. Afghanistan showed brief resistance through Atal in their second effort but never recovered from the pressure. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav led the attack in the second innings, picking up crucial wickets as Afghanistan folded again. Washington finished with 4 for 36, while Kuldeep claimed 3 for 30, wrapping up the lower order. India completed a dominant victory by an innings and 300 runs in New Chandigarh.
