Manav Suthar took seven wickets on debut to spur India to their largest Test victory, defeating Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in three days in New Chandigarh.
Centuries from KL Rahul and Shubman Gill saw the hosts bring up a first-innings total of 564 runs, before they declared with two wickets remaining.
India then unleashed their dangerous spin attack, with 23-year-old debutant Suthar taking six wickets for 33 in the first innings as Afghanistan were bowled out for 152. The hosts then enforced a follow-on and dismissed the visitors again for 112.
Suthar, 23, is only the fifth Indian player to have claimed a five-for on debut
In the Test format, this was India’s biggest winning margin by innings. The last time they set that record was in 2018, when they defeated West Indies by an innings and 272 runs.
This was also the second time Gill’s side have faced Afghanistan in Test cricket. The last time these two sides met in 2018, India sealed victory by an innings and 262 runs in Bengaluru, their third-highest winning margin.
In the first innings, Suthar sandwiched the wickets of Abdul Malik (16) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (12) between two sensational dismissals from Prasidh Krishna, who took 3-37, and bowled Sediqullah Atal (17) and trapped Hashmatullah Shahidi lbw (20).
Shubman Gill scored 126 runs off 177 deliveries to guide India to a first-innings score of 564-8
Suthar, a left-arm spinner who plays in the IPL for the Gujarat Titans, then caught and bowled Afsar Zazai for three runs off 26 deliveries as India continued to dominate their opponents.
Rahmat Shah fought back against the Indian spin attack, bringing up an individual score of 60, Afghanistan’s highest for the match. However after facing 134 deliveries, he was trapped lbw for Suthar’s fifth wicket.
The 23-year-old wasn’t done yet. He had Mohammad Saleem (0) lbw for his sixth wicket, before Washington Sundar took the final wicket of the first innings, as India forced the follow-on.
Suthar is only the fifth Indian player to have claimed a five-for on debut, and became the first since Ravichandran Ashwin, who achieved the feat in 2011.
Sundar was the pick of the bowlers in the following innings, posting a score of 4-36 as Afghanistan again struggled.
Mohammed Siraj struck first, removing Malik for eight, before Gurbaz was caught out by Krishna off a Kuldeep Yadav delivery.
Yadav took 3-30 in the third innings alongside a rampant Sundar, who claimed the next three wickets of Shah (13), Shahidi (5) and Atal (42), before Suthar claimed his seventh wicket of the match.
From there, India took the next three wickets of Azmatullah Omarzai (0), Nangeyalia Kharote (6) and Mohammad Saleem (0) in the space of six overs for only six runs, wrapping up a dominant victory.
India and Afghanistan will next face off in a three-match ODI series, which commences on Saturday, June 13.
Watch day one of the second Test between England and New Zealand, at The Kia Oval, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am on Wednesday June 17 (11am first ball). Stream cricket and more with NOW – no contract.
