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- IND vs AFG Live Score, One-Off Test Match Day 2: Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar resume after lunch as India near 500
IND vs AFG Live Score, One-Off Test Match Day 2: Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar resume after lunch as India near 500
Rahul's innings was a lesson in patience and discipline. The right-hander overcame an early reprieve — a faint edge that went unnoticed by wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai — to compile a measured 100 off 165 balls. His innings allowed the more fluent Sai Sudharsan to play freely during their 139-run second-wicket partnership. The left-hander looked set for a maiden Test century before falling for 81 after surviving two earlier chances.
If Rahul represented restraint, Gill epitomised authority. The captain batted with remarkable ease, treating the weary Afghan bowlers with disdain while remaining unbeaten on 103 off 143 deliveries. His 11 boundaries and a straight six reflected the confidence with which he controlled proceedings. Alongside the adventurous Rishabh Pant, who blasted three sixes in an unbeaten half-century, Gill added 121 runs for the fourth wicket to further flatten Afghanistan.
While Mohammad Saleem emerged as Afghanistan's most successful bowler with figures of 2 for 67, it was pacer Ziaur Rahman who posed the biggest challenge. However, the visitors' biggest problem lay in their spin department. In the absence of their established stars, Nangeyalia Kharote and Abdul Malik lacked the quality to trouble India's accomplished batters.
India scored freely without resorting to all-out aggression, collecting 42 boundaries and four sixes. With the pitch expected to aid spin as the game progresses, the hosts appear firmly on course to dictate the contest and possibly force a result well before the scheduled fifth day.
Ziaur Rahman to Dhruv Jurel, Good length, on middle and leg, Dhruv Jurel blocks this to the leg side.
Ziaur Rahman to Dhruv Jurel, Hard length, on top of off, Dhruv Jurel rocks onto his back foot and blocks this out.
Ziaur Rahman to Dhruv Jurel, Beauty of a delivery from Ziaur Rahman. Right in the channel, angling in and moving away after pitching, around off. Dhruv Jurel plays down the wrong line and gets beaten on his outside edge.
Ziaur Rahman to Rishabh Pant, Short and into the batter, on middle and leg. Rishabh Pant tucks this to mid-wicket for a single.
Ziaur Rahman to Rishabh Pant, Full and around off, Rishabh Pant pushes this towards the left of sweeper cover for a couple of runs.
- Dhruv Jurel 8 (7)
- Rishabh Pant 75 (107)
Mohammad Saleem to Dhruv Jurel, FOUR! Perfectly placed in the gap for four. Short but not that wide outside off, Jurel hangs onto his back foot, opens the face of his bat and guides this through the gap between gully and backward point for four runs.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length, around off, Pant guides this towards deep point for a single.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, Around that nagging length, on off, going across the batter. Pant leaves it.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, Hard length, around off, Pant blocks this to covers.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, FOUR! Oh, on any other day, that could have gone back onto the stumps. Short and wide of off, Rishabh Pant rises with the bounce and looks for a square cut. The ball takes an inside edge and it bounces to the right of the keeper for a boundary towards the fine leg region.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, Slower one, around off, going across the batter. Pant pokes at it but gets beaten. The ball drops in front of the keeper.
- Dhruv Jurel 4 (6)
- Rishabh Pant 70 (102)
Ziaur Rahman to Dhruv Jurel, Ziaur sticks on a good length and within the sticks. Jurel pushes this to mid on.
Ziaur Rahman to Dhruv Jurel, Good length, on middle and leg, Dhruv Jurel tucks this to mid-wicket for no run.
Ziaur Rahman to Dhruv Jurel, Full and on middle and leg, Dhruv Jurel flicks this straight to mid-wicket.
Ziaur Rahman to Dhruv Jurel, Good length, on off, Dhruv Jurel defends this off his back foot.
Ziaur Rahman to Dhruv Jurel, In the channel, on a length. Dhruv Jurel gives it a good look and leaves it.
Ziaur Rahman to Rishabh Pant, Pitched-up delivery, around off, Rishabh Pant drives this to sweeper cover for a single.
- Dhruv Jurel 4 (1)
- Rishabh Pant 69 (101)
Mohammad Saleem to Dhruv Jurel, FOUR! Jurel is up and running straight away. Saleem digs it on a hard length, over off and middle. The height does not trouble Dhruv, who stands tall and swivels to hammer the pull in front of square to get going.
DRINKS! Afghanistan are finally rewarded for continuing to bowl into the right areas as Shubman Gill departs at the stroke of a hydration break. India have once again scored at a rapid pace, but the visitors would be gutted to not have gone up earlier in Azmatullah Omarzai's over, where he could have got either of the two overnight batters had they opted for DRS. Well, that can't be undone now, so they'll be needing to keep on taking wickets at regular intervals. Dhruv Jurel walks out next to bat.
Mohammad Saleem to Shubman Gill, OUT! CAUGHT! Mohammad Saleem strikes. Seam-up ball, on a short of a length, just outside the off stump. Gill tries to punch it away on the off side off the back foot and stays leg side of the ball. The ball takes an outside edge and it is a healthy deflection. The keeper, Afsar Zazai moves to his right and snaffles it safely. End of a top knock from the Indian skipper. Afghanistan break the 169-run stand. India are now 416/4.
Mohammad Saleem to Shubman Gill, On the off stump, on a good length. Gill pats it to cover.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, Had to hurry! Saleem pushes the length up, on off. Pant pushes it with a straight bat to the left of mid off. Nangeyalia Kharote is a bit deep there and he gets around before having a shy at the bowling end. Rishabh is in by then.
Mohammad Saleem to Shubman Gill, Hits the deck hard, does Saleem, on a short of a good length. Gill rides the bounce nicely and cuts it to deep point. They cross.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, Landing outside the line of the leg stump, on a back of a length. Pant is beaten on the tickle. A leg bye is taken as the ball goes off the pads on the leg side.
- Shubman Gill 125 (174)
- Rishabh Pant 68 (99)
Azmatullah Omarzai to Shubman Gill, Moving back in again but this is fuller, outside off. Gill shoulders arms.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Shubman Gill, Shaping back in, the length is pulled back a bit, on middle. Shubman knocks it to the right of the bowler.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Rishabh Pant, Serves it on a length, on the off stump. Pant drops it in front of cover and hurries to the other end.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Rishabh Pant, Fuller and angled in at the pads, Rishabh nurdles it to mid-wicket.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Rishabh Pant, Goes past the bat! Bowled by going wide on the crease, on a nagging length, outside off. Pant pokes at it and is lucky not to nick this one behind.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Rishabh Pant, Dishes it out on a hard length, outside off. Pant sways away to let it pass.
- Shubman Gill 125 (172)
- Rishabh Pant 67 (95)
Mohammad Saleem to Shubman Gill, FOUR! In the gap! Mohammad Saleem bangs it in short, over middle, Shubman stands tall and swivels to pull it behind square to the left of deep fine leg for the second boundary of the over.
Mohammad Saleem to Shubman Gill, Keeps it at the stumps, full in length, driven to mid on.
Mohammad Saleem to Shubman Gill, FOUR! Fine shot. Saleem goes full in search of swing and finds a hint of inward shape, on the off stump. Shubman springs onto the front foot for the drive. Plays it back towards the bowler and Saleem can only get fingertips to it on the follow-through. It races past mid off's right for a boundary.
Mohammad Saleem to Shubman Gill, Around the off stump, on a good length. Shubman blocks it close to his body.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, On the pads, on a length. Rishabh wrists it wide of mid-wicket for a single.
Mohammad Saleem to Rishabh Pant, Delivers it full, on middle. Pant gets behind the line to defend.
Mohammad Saleem (13-1-67-2) replaces Ziaur Rahman in the attack.
- Shubman Gill 117 (168)
- Rishabh Pant 66 (93)
Azmatullah Omarzai to Shubman Gill, Keeps it in and around the off stump, on a short of a length. Gill stabs it down off the back foot.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Shubman Gill, FOUR! Nicely done! Hurls it on a back of a length, outside off. Gill lets the ball come to him and opens the bat face to run it down to deep third for a four. The 400 is up for India.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Shubman Gill, Uppishly played! Floated up there by Omarzai, on middle. Gill leans forward for the drive and presents the full face of the blade. Chips it back to the bowler's right. Azmatullah sticks out his right hand but fails to lay fingertips to it. Pant was not backing up too far and was alert enough to plonk his back leg inside the crease quickly.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Shubman Gill, Slightly on the shorter side, over off. Shubman defends it from the crease.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Rishabh Pant, A bit more effort on this ball. Banged into the deck, on off. Rishabh drops it with soft hands to the right of cover for a quick single.
Azmatullah Omarzai to Rishabh Pant, At 132.2 kph, lands it on a good length, on off. Pant covers the line and blocks it off.
- Shubman Gill 113 (164)
- Rishabh Pant 65 (91)
Ziaur Rahman to Shubman Gill, FOUR! Put away with ease! Rahman errs in line as he offers a lot of width. This is fractionally short, and Gill slaps it hard, beating the man at deep point to his right. The 150-run stand comes up between these two batters.
Ziaur Rahman to Shubman Gill, Moving back in the air, on a good length, just outside the off stump. Shubman pats it to cover.
Ziaur Rahman to Shubman Gill, Goes fuller now, outside off. Gill taps it beside the strip on the off side.
Ziaur Rahman to Rishabh Pant, Dug in short, over off. Pant helps the pull behind square leg and turns the strike over.
Ziaur Rahman to Rishabh Pant, Switches to around the wicket now, this keeps coming back in, around off, on a short of a length. Rishabh Pant leaves it all alone.
Ziaur Rahman to Rishabh Pant, FOUR! Up and over! Going away with the angle, on a length. Pant shimmies down the track and reaches out to flay it over cover for his 5th boundary of the innings. The stand moves to 146.
- Shubman Gill 109 (161)
- Rishabh Pant 60 (88)
Azmatullah Omarzai to Shubman Gill, Omarzai keeps attacking the stumps, this time with a length delivery on middle and off. Gill punches this back to the bowler.
Rahul, who reached his 12th Test hundred with a patient 100 off 165 balls, embodied classical Test-match virtues, relying on sound defence and elegant drives after surviving an early chance. Gill, meanwhile, was the aggressor-in-chief, batting with such ease that he appeared to be playing a practice game. The Indian skipper remained unbeaten on 103 from 143 deliveries, his 11th Test century coming in just his 41st appearance.
Sai Sudharsan continued his impressive rise with an attractive 81 off 104 balls despite receiving two reprieves, sharing a 139-run stand with Rahul after Yashasvi Jaiswal's early dismissal. Rishabh Pant then joined Gill in an entertaining unbroken partnership worth 121 runs, smashing three sixes during his unbeaten fifty.
Afghanistan's spirited attack struggled for penetration, with Mohammad Saleem claiming two wickets while pacer Ziaur Rahman impressed without much reward. Their inexperienced spin unit failed to exert control, conceding runs regularly as India struck 42 fours and four sixes.
With assistance available for spin on the surface, India are expected to bat briefly on the second morning before unleashing their three-pronged slow-bowling attack.
