India have a tight grip on the one-off Test in Mullanpur despite a spirited fightback against Afghanistan

India’s Shubman Gill tightened his grip on the one-off Test against Afghanistan in a hot Mullanpur on Sunday, June 7. A combination of quality cricket and costly decision-making errors ensured that the gap between the two sides widened considerably, although the contest could easily have gone the other way.

India declared their first innings at 564/8 before unleashing their bowling attack against an inexperienced Afghan batting line-up. The visitors’ lack of focus on red-ball cricket was evident early in their innings when opener Abdul Malik tried to sweep debutant spinner Manav Suthar against the new ball but edged Mohammed Siraj on the back leg.

IND vs AFG Highlights: One-off Test Day 2

Sustained pressure from Suthar and Prasidh Krishna knocked Afghanistan into a precarious position at stumps, leaving the visitors staring at a sizeable first innings deficit.

The story of Day 2 can be divided into three distinct parts, each of which had a major impact on the course of the match.

The morning session belonged, and yet did not belong, to Afghanistan. The visitors played brilliantly for long periods but undermined their own efforts by poor use of the decision control system.

Mohammad Saleem Safi was an outstanding performer for Afghanistan. The right-arm pacer combined raw pace with discipline to claim six wickets after toiling for 27 overs in temperatures hovering around 38-39 degrees Celsius.

Despite conceding 140 runs, Safi removed several key batsmen from India and ensured that the hosts did not run away with the game completely.

UMPIRING ERRORS BECOME AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan would be in a much stronger position if a few crucial decisions had gone their way. They also had themselves to blame for failing to challenge decisions that were clearly worthy of review.

The two biggest moments came at the same time from Azmatullah Omarzai, who once again impressed with his discipline and control.

The first involved Shubman Gill. Omarzai trapped the Indian skipper plumb in front but the on-field umpire dismissed the loud appeal.

Records later confirmed that the ball hit mid-section and leg-stump. The decision not to give Gill out was questionable, although the ball hitting both pads may have contributed to the umpire’s uncertainty.

What followed was even more confusing.

Despite a confident call from the entire team, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi chose not to review.

The very next ball brought an even bigger opportunity.

Omarzai induced an outside edge from Rishabh Pant while bowling around the wicket. The ball went clear to the keeper, prompting another loud appeal that was turned down.

Afghanistan refused to review the second ball in a row.

Records later suggested that Pant had actually bowled the delivery.

Just four games into the day, Afghanistan missed the chance to dismiss both Gill and Pant. Had these wickets fallen, India could have been restricted to a much smaller total.

INDIA POST IN COMMAND FIRST SHIFT TOTAL

India began the second morning with a clear objective: to rack up points and put the game beyond Afghanistan’s reach.

Gill and Pant looked set to attack from the start and that intent filtered through the rest of the batting order after their departure.

However, the Afghan bowlers deserve significant credit for how they defended.

Apart from Pant, who fell for 81 when trying to take on Shahidi, the Indian batsmen were largely denied by high-quality deliveries rather than reckless hitting.

Safi led the charge with six wickets as the supporting bowlers continued to pose questions to the Indian line-up throughout the day.

Washington Sundar registered the sixth half-century of his Test career, while Mohammed Siraj chipped in with a useful late cameo to push India’s total past the 550-run mark.

With about 40 minutes left in Tea, Gill finally called his batting at 564/8 after 127 overs, setting the stage for the Indian bowlers to take control of the match.

More to follow…

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

07 Jun 2026 17:12 IST