Test debutants Afghanistan will be proud of the fact that they made the opposition, World No. 1 Test team India all out in their first bowling innings for under 500 on a beautiful batting strip.
Test debutants Afghanistan will be proud of the fact that they made the opposition, World No. 1 Test team India all out in their first bowling innings for under 500 on a beautiful batting strip.
It was a wicket on which Hardik Pandya, overnight not out on 10, stroked his way to his third fifty in his seventh Test, and powered by some lusty hitting by No. 11 Umesh Yadav (26 not out, 2x4, 2x6), India reached 474 before losing their 10th wicket at the stroke of lunch.
Resuming Day 2 at 347 for 6, India carried on through the overnight pair of Pandya and Ashwin but not for long. Ashwin was the first to fall in the day’s eighth over, cutting Yamin Ahmadzai away from the body and managing to under edge it to wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai.
Ahmadzai ought to have got two in two when off Ravindra Jadeja’s first ball, a thick outside edge, he dropped a straight forward chance. Given the reprieve, the left-hander stepped out to leg-spinner Rashid Khan to deposit him over long-on for a six. Jadeja made only 20 but gave Pandya solid company in their eighth-wicket stand worth 67.
Pandya was the dominant batsman until he fell for 71 (94b, 10x4). Flicks off his pads off Ahmadzai, cutting and driving Rashid for fours, three off them in one over from the 19-year-old leg-spinner were a delight to watch.
And, when Pandya slog-swept Khan to mid-wicket for a four to reach his fifty, Khan was a demoralised bowler, unable to get the trouble the batsmen from the old ball. Afghanistan continued to bowl with the old ball, not opting for the new one.
They operated for a large part of the first session with a medium-pacer at one end in the form of Ahmadzai and then Wafadar, while spin was doing the job from the pavilion end. Khan operated from the this end for a morning spell of 6-0-27-0 before giving way to off-spinner Mohammad Nabi, who picked up his maiden Test wicket in his 13th over when Jadeja stepped out to repeat the six over long on but only to be caught at the boundary by Rahmat Shah.
Pandya thrived on the spread field. Afghanistan’s field placements defied logic when Wafadar had three fielders on the boundary on the leg side but bowled outside off-stump for Pandya to edge through the vacant third man for four. However, he bowled one to the set field and brought the ball in to Pandya, who in his attempt to upper-cup close to his body, edged up edging to Zazai for the wicket-keeper’s second catch of the morning.
Number 11 Yadav thrilled the Indian supporters, some of whom were shouting R.C.B., for whom the tailender plays in IPL on his ‘home ground’. Two sixes off Wafadar and a four through mid-wicket completed an expensive over in which the right-armer conceded 21 runs.
However, Khan was back for his second spell but without dividends. He finally added a wicket to his overnight one when Ishant Sharma missed an attempted sweep from middle and off and was trapped in front at the stroke of lunch. Khan, who finished with 2/154, can only get better as he plays more Tests and gains experience.
India added 127 runs for the loss of 4 wicket in 26.5 overs in the morning session
It is advantage India as Afghanistan will have to put up a better show with the bat and make a fight out of the tall Indian score against the world-beating Indian bowlers, especially the spin twins Ashwin and Jadeja in their familiar conditions.
Brief scores: India (overnight 347/6) 474 all out in 104.5 ov (H Pandya 71, R Jadeja 20, U Yadav 26*; Y Ahmadzai 3/51, Wafadar 2/100, R Khan 2/154) vs Afghanistan
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