The picturesque surroundings of the HPCA Stadium in New Chandigarh transformed into a battleground on day two of the one-off Test between India and Afghanistan, with the hosts declaring at 564/8 and sending the visitors into a spin. A superb spell of left-arm spin bowling from debutant Manav Suthar left Afghanistan reeling, as the Indians tightened their grip on the match, leaving the tourists with a daunting task to overcome.
The Indian top-order batsmen had made a mockery of the Afghan bowling attack on day one, with opener Shubman Gill scoring a century and skipper Rohit Sharma looking ominous in his 52-ball 53. However, it was the lower-order batsmen who stole the show on the second day, with Akshey Wadkar scoring 74 and Axar Patel chipping in with a quickfire 39 to propel the total past 500.
Manav Suthar, who made his Test debut in this match, was the pick of the bowlers, picking up two crucial wickets, including that of Afghanistan’s star batsman Rahmat Shah. His spell of 1/25 in 9 overs was a masterclass in left-arm spin bowling, as he extracted turn and bounce from the New Chandigarh pitch, leaving the Afghan batsmen struggling to cope.
Second Section
The Afghan batsmen, who had looked resilient on the first day, were in disarray on the second day, with the Indian bowlers making full use of the favorable conditions. The Afghan skipper, Rashid Khan, was the first to fall, caught by a sharp catch at slip by Wadkar, while the other batsmen struggled to get going.
The Indian bowlers, led by the spin duo of Suthar and Ravichandran Ashwin, were relentless in their pursuit of wickets, as they kept the Afghan batsmen on the back foot for most of the day. The Afghan tailenders, who had managed to hang around on the first day, were no match for the Indian spinners, as they were dismissed quickly, leaving Afghanistan reeling at 120/7 at stumps.
The Indians will be looking to wrap up the match quickly on day three, while the Afghan batsmen will be hoping to stage a miraculous comeback, but the writing on the wall suggests that it will be an uphill task for the visitors.
Third Section
The Indian team will be relieved that they have taken control of the match, and the debut of Manav Suthar has given them a boost ahead of the upcoming Test series against South Africa. The Indian team management will be keeping a close eye on Suthar’s progress, as they look to build a strong spin bowling attack for the future.
The Afghan team, on the other hand, will be disappointed with their batting performance, as they failed to capitalize on the favorable conditions. The Afghan batsmen will need to regroup and come up with a better plan to counter the Indian spinners if they are to have any chance of salvaging a draw, let alone a win.
The third day of the match promises to be an exciting one, as India look to wrap up the match quickly, while Afghanistan will be hoping to stage a comeback. The Indian team will be looking to build on their strong start, while the Afghan team will be hoping to make a dent in the Indian batting line-up. The stage is set for an exciting finish to the one-off Test thriller in New Chandigarh.
