New Chandigarh, June 8 (IANS) Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar marked his arrival in Test cricket with a six-wicket haul as India bundled out Afghanistan for 152 in their first innings and enforced the follow-on before lunch on Day 3 of the one-off Test at the PCA Stadium on Monday.

Resuming at 113/5 and still trailing India’s imposing first-innings total of 564/8 (declared) by 451 runs, Afghanistan needed a substantial partnership from overnight batter Rahmat Shah to avoid a complete collapse. But Suthar’s ability to extract turn from the surface ensured India tightened their grip on the contest.

The morning began positively for India when Prasidh Krishna struck in the fifth over of the day. Azmatullah Omarzai, who had faced 10 deliveries without scoring, was bowled attempting a drive, leaving Afghanistan at 118/6 and exposing the lower order.

Rahmat, however, continued to fight a lone battle. The right-hander became the first Afghanistan batter to register a Test fifty against India, bringing up the landmark with a boundary off Prasidh. Having already become Afghanistan’s first player to cross 1,000 Test runs on Day 2, Rahmat once again showcased his resilience amid the ruins.

He found brief support from Sharafuddin Ashraf, who battled through a visible quad injury and added 24 runs for the seventh wicket. The pair frustrated India for a period, with Rahmat unfurling a few crisp drives and Ashraf showing commendable determination despite struggling to run between the wickets.

Just when Afghanistan appeared to be stabilising, Suthar returned to break the stand. Ashraf, attempting an ambitious slog, edged behind to Rishabh Pant, with India successfully overturning the on-field decision through a review. The breakthrough opened the floodgates.

Suthar then produced the moment of the innings when he castled Rahmat for 60 with a beautifully flighted delivery that dipped, turned and crashed into the stumps as the batter attempted a sweep. The wicket brought up the spinner’s maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket and effectively ended Afghanistan’s resistance.

The debutant was not done yet. He trapped Mohammad Saleem Safi lbw and finished with outstanding figures of 6/33 from 22 overs, becoming only the 10th Indian and seventh spinner from the country to claim a five-wicket haul on Test debut.

Washington Sundar wrapped up the innings when Ziaur Rahman Sharifi holed out to Pant, leaving Afghanistan all out for 152 in 58.4 overs. Rahmat’s 60 was the only substantial score as Afghanistan lost their last five wickets for just 36 runs.

With a lead of 412 runs, India had little hesitation in enforcing the follow-on, handing Suthar another opportunity to add to a memorable performance on debut.

Brief Scores: India 564/8 dec in 127 overs (Shubman Gill 126, KL Rahul 100, Rishabh Pant 81, Sai Sudharsan 81, Washington Sundar 52*; Mohammad Saleem Safi 6-140) lead Afghanistan 152/10 in 58.4 overs (Rahmat Shah 60, Hashmatullah Shahidi 20; Manav Suthar 6-33, Prasidh Krishna 3-37, Washington Sundar 1-21) by 412 runs.

–IANS

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