Suthar's triple strike strengthens India's dominance on Day 2

India established total dominance on Day 2 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at Mullanpur, posting a massive first-innings total of 564/8 decl, before making early inroads into the opposition's batting line-up to leave them reeling at 113/5.

Resuming their first innings, the hosts piled on the runs to declare with a commanding first-innings score of 564. The charge was led by captain Shubman Gill, who added to his overnight unbeaten hundred to finish with a superb 126 off 177 balls, featuring 15 boundaries and a six.

Contributions flowed heavily from the rest of the middle and lower order as well. Rishabh Pant, unbeaten on fifty, carried on to make 81 off 121. Washington Sundar then stitched a 54-run stand with debutant Manav Suthar, who chipped in a valuable 28. Washington accelerated to finish with an unbeaten 52, adding another 30 runs with Mohammed Siraj and 24 with Kuldeep Yadav before India declared.

Despite the batting onslaught, Afghanistan's Mohammad Saleem Safi delivered a heroic bowling performance, fighting through the tough conditions to claim excellent figures of 6 for 140. He picked four of India's five wickets that fell on Day 2 before the declaration came from the hosts.

Faced with a mountain of runs, Afghanistan's first innings got off to a rocky start against a disciplined Indian bowling attack. Openers Abdul Malik and Sediqullah Atal were dismissed for 16 and 17 respectively, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for 12 with Suthar and Prasidh Krishna causing early damage. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi attempted to rebuild with a gritty 20, but he was trapped leg-before-wicket, leaving the visitors in deep trouble at 98/4.

Rahmat Shah provided the primary resistance for Afghanistan, battling his way to an unbeaten 43 by the close of play and becoming the first batter from his country to notch up a 1000 Test runs in the process. For India, both Prasidh and Suthar were highly effective, maintaining a tight stranglehold on the scoring rate. Suthar picked up his third wicket in closing minutes of play. At the end of the second day, Afghanistan sat at 113/5, staring at a massive deficit of 451 runs.

Brief scores: India 564/8 decl (Shubman Gill 126, Rishabh Pant 81, Washington Sundar 52*; Mohammad Saleem Safi 6-140) lead Afghanistan 113/5 (Rahmat Shah 43*; Manav Suthar 3-21, Prasidh Krishna 2-27) by 451 runs