Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar announced himself on the international stage with a superb seven-wicket match haul as India crushed Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the one-off Test on Monday, registering the biggest innings victory in their Test history.
Suthar, who returned figures of 6 for 33 in the first innings and 1 for 29 in the second, emerged as the standout performer in a comprehensive Indian victory that was set up by centuries from captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul.
Afghanistan, bowled out for 152 in their first innings after India declared at 564 for 8, fared even worse in the follow-on, folding for 112 in 35.5 overs on the third day.
Washington Sundar claimed 4 for 36 in the second innings, while Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with 3 for 30 as Afghanistan's batting line-up struggled against spin throughout the match.
The victory surpassed India's previous biggest innings win, by an innings and 272 runs against the West Indies in 2018.
Also read: Debutant Suthar takes three as Afghanistan reel at 113/5
The foundation for the triumph was laid by Rahul and Gill, who produced commanding centuries after India elected to bat. Rahul scored 100 and shared a 139-run partnership with Sai Sudharsan, who made 81. Gill followed with a fluent 126, while Rishabh Pant contributed 81.
Useful lower-order runs from Washington Sundar (52 not out), Mohammed Siraj (22) and Suthar (28) helped India post a formidable 564 for 8 declared.
For Afghanistan, Mohammad Saleem Safi's 6 for 140 was a rare bright spot as he became only the third player from his country to claim a five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Rahmat Shah fought a lone battle with 60 in the first innings, but received little support from the rest of the batting order. In the second innings, Sediqullah Atal top-scored with 42 while Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 24, but Afghanistan never threatened to extend the contest.
The match, however, belonged to Suthar. The 23-year-old became the 10th Indian bowler to claim a five-wicket haul on Test debut and underlined his credentials as a potential long-term successor to Ravindra Jadeja in India's spin attack.
With Ravichandran Ashwin retired and Jadeja nearing the twilight of his Test career, Suthar's emergence will be one of the biggest positives for India from an otherwise one-sided contest.
Scoreboard:
India (1st innings): 564/8 declared
Afghanistan (1st innings): 152 all out
Afghanistan (2nd Innings) : Sediqullah Atal c Prasidh Krishna b Washington Sundar 42 Abdul Malik lbw b Mohammed Siraj 8 Rahmanullah Gurbaz c Prasidh Krishna b Kuldeep Yadav 24 Rahmat Shah c Suthar b Washington Sundar 13 Hashmatullah Shahidi c Shubman Gill b Washington Sundar 5 Afsar Zazai lbw b Manav Suthar 8 Azmatullah Omarzai c Kuldeep Yadav b Washington Sundar 4 Nangeyalia Kharote c Suthar b Kuldeep Yadav 6 Ziaur Rahman not out 0 Mohammad Saleem c Sai Sudharsan b Kuldeep Yadav 0 Sharafuddin Ashraf absent hurt
Extras: (nb-2) 2
Total: 112 all out in 35.5 overs
Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-74, 3-87, 4-93, 5-98, 6-106, 7-106, 8-112, 9-112.
Bowling: Manav Suthar 10-2-29-1, Prasidh Krishna 3-0-6-0, Kuldeep Yadav 7.5-1-30-3, Mohammed Siraj 4-1-11-1, Washington Sundar 11-4-36-4.
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