India crush Afghanistan in record Test win as debutant Suthar stars
Debutant Manav Suthar took seven wickets to inspire India to their largest ever Test match victory, thrashing Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs inside three days in New Chandigarh.
Dominant batting sets the foundation
The hosts established total control early in the match, declaring their first innings on a formidable 564 for eight.
Centuries from captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul provided the platform before a relentless spin attack took over.
Afghanistan were bowled out for just 152 in their first innings before being immediately forced to follow on.
The visitors fared even worse in their second attempt, collapsing to 112 all out against a rampant bowling unit.
Suthar makes history on debut
The 23-year-old Suthar dismantled the Afghan batting order with stunning figures of six for 33 in the first innings.
The Gujarat Titans left-arm spinner became only the fifth Indian player to claim a five-wicket haul on his Test debut.
He is the first bowler to achieve the prestigious milestone for his country since Ravichandran Ashwin in 2011.
Rahmat Shah provided the only significant resistance for the visitors, scoring an individual 60 from 134 deliveries before falling lbw to the young debutant.
Record books rewritten
The crushing result surpasses India’s previous biggest winning margin, an innings and 272-run victory against the West Indies in 2018.
Washington Sundar was the chief tormentor in the second innings, claiming four for 36 to extinguish any lingering Afghan hopes.
He was ably supported by Kuldeep Yadav, who took three for 30 as Shubman Gill’s side wrapped up the historic triumph with ease.
The emphatic win maintains the hosts’ perfect Test record against their opponents, following an innings and 262-run victory when the sides first met eight years ago.
