New Chandigarh, June 7 (IANS) India declared their innings at 564/8 in 127 overs on day two of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, with Washington Sundar unbeaten on a composed 52. For Afghanistan, pacer Mohammad Saleem Safi finished with 6-140.

The declaration came at 1:33pm local time, signalled by captain Shubman Gill after Sundar reached his fifty The all-rounder, often shuffled in the batting order, once again underlined his value with the bat by mixing patience with timely aggression. His fifty was marked by a wristy flick for four off Safi, after slamming a commanding pull for six.

India’s lower order added quick runs before Gill called time. Debutant Manav Suthar struck two lusty sixes to push the total past 500, but his attacking cameo ended when he became Safi’s fifth victim. Mohammed Siraj was promoted ahead of Kuldeep Yadav and responded with a breezy 22 off 12 balls, including a six and three boundaries, before Safi cleaned him up. Kuldeep Yadav then joined Sundar and added nine runs before the declaration came.

Safi’s spell was the highlight of Afghanistan’s effort. Having gone wicketless in his previous four international appearances, the pacer found rhythm and consistency with the second new ball, exploiting variable bounce and mixing lengths to trouble India’s batters. On a scorching Sunday in New Chandigarh, when India walked off after declaring their innings, Safi left the field with the match ball raised in acknowledgement of the sparse crowd.

India’s innings was built on skipper Shubman Gill’s authoritative 126, KL Rahul’s century, Sai Sudharsan’s 81 and Rishabh Pant’s 81 earlier in the day. But the lower-order contributions ensured the hosts had a healthy run-rate of 4.44 and also placed the innings among India’s fourth fastest 500-plus totals in Test history.

For Afghanistan, the immediate challenge is survival. Their batters face the task of negotiating India’s attack until tea. The visitors have already shown spirit through Safi’s spell, but will need to bat out of their skin to ensure they come close to India’s core. India, meanwhile, remain firmly in control and have now given their bowlers two full sessions to put Afghanistan under the pump.

Brief Scores: India 564/8 dec. in 127 overs (Shubman Gill 126, KL Rahul 100; Mohammad Saleem Safi 6-140, Hashmatullah Shahidi 1-91) against Afghanistan

–IANS

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