Chandigarh [India], June 6 (ANI): India ended Day 1 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in a commanding position, reaching 368 for 3 in 85 overs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.
Skipper Shubman Gill ended the day with 103 not out, with KL Rahul also hitting a century of his own, while Rishabh Pant supported with a well-timed 50. The strong batting display saw India dominate the Afghan bowling attack, with Mohammad Saleem Safi taking two wickets and Ziaur Rahman Sharifi claiming one.
The third session started with India in a strong position at 209 for 2 after 50 overs. By the 60th over, the pair continued to accumulate runs, taking the score to 245 for 2.
On the first ball of the 61st over bowled by Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, KL Rahul reached his 12th Test century off 164 balls, marking the sixth opponent against whom he has scored a hundred in Tests. However, he was dismissed on the very next delivery, caught sharply by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, ending a 67-run partnership with Shubman Gill.
Rahul departed after scoring 100 off 165 balls, with 11 fours.
Despite the setback, Gill and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant kept India's momentum alive. In the following over, Gill struck two boundaries off Saleem Safi to reach his ninth Test half-century, bringing India to 264 for 3 in 62 overs.
Gill and Pant continued to add runs steadily, taking India to 286 for 3 in 67 overs. In the 68th over, Pant unleashed a flurry of boundaries, hitting three sixes off Abdul Malik as India surpassed the 300-run mark.
By the end of the 70th over, the hosts had moved to 311 for 3, keeping the scoreboard ticking confidently.
Runs continued to flow steadily over the next five overs, with India moving to 330 for 3. By the 82nd over, the hosts had crossed the 350-run mark, with Gill and Pant asserting their dominance over the Afghan bowling attack.
On the fifth delivery of the 83rd over, captain Shubman Gill reached his well-earned century in 138 balls, marking his 11th Test hundred and the sixth as an Indian skipper.
In the final over of Day 1, Rishabh Pant brought up his half-century in 70 balls, taking India to 368 for 3 at the close of play in 85 overs. Gill remained unbeaten on 103 off 143 balls. For Afghanistan, Mohammad Saleem Safi took two wickets, and Ziaur Rahman Sharifi claimed one.
Earlier, India added 113 runs for the loss of one wicket in the second session, further consolidating their strong position on Day 1.
KL Rahul got off to a confident start after lunch, striking a couple of boundaries in the first over and bringing up his 21st Test fifty. Alongside him, Sai Sudharshan attacked Afghanistan's left-arm spinner Ziaur Rahman, hitting three consecutive fours to reach his third Test half-century.
Afghanistan nearly struck when Ziaur Rahman induced an outside edge from Sai at 59, but the ball evaded the diving keeper, leaving the team wicketless in the first half of the session. Mohammad Saleem Safi troubled the batsmen with pace and reverse swing, eventually claiming Sai's wicket for 81 off an overpitched delivery.
By the end of the second session, the partnership between Rahul and skipper Shubman Gill ensured that India maintained control through the session as they reached 209/2.
In the first session, a fluent partnership between Rahul and Sudharsan guided India to 96/1. The duo put together 55 runs for the second wicket in 78 balls, with Rahul unbeaten on 37 and Sudharsan on 32 at lunch.
India, having won the toss and elected to bat, started with openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The pair gave the hosts a steady start, with Jaiswal driving Ziaur Rahman Sharifi for a boundary in the very first over, setting a positive tone for the innings. The team featured six left-handed batters, marking only the third time India has fielded so many in a playing XI, after the two Tests against South Africa last year.
Afghanistan's bowlers bowled tight lines and lengths, restricting India's batters from playing freely. They made an early breakthrough when Mohammad Saleem Safi dismissed Jaiswal on the final ball of the 12th over, edging a short-of-length delivery to the wicketkeeper. Jaiswal scored 24 off 32 balls, leaving the crease disappointed, and was replaced by Sai Sudharsan. Safi remained the only wicket-taker for Afghanistan in the session.
Brief score: India 368/3 (Shubman Gill 103*, KL Rahul 100; Mohammad Saleem Safi 2/67). Vs Afghanistan. (ANI)
