India on top against Afghanistan in one-off Test: Day 1
What's the story
Team India firmly dominated Afghanistan on Day 1 of the one-off Test in Mullanpur. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill both scored centuries, helping India to a strong position with 368 runs for three wickets at stumps. The day was marred by missed reviews and dropped catches from the Afghan players, which put them on the back foot early in the match. Here is the day report.
Match highlights
Indian batters dominate the day
The opening pair of Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal (24) added 41 runs before the latter departed. Rahul, however, continued the good work alongside Sai Sudharsan (81), as the duo added 139 runs. Rahul further powered India with a 67-run stand with Gill before falling.
Batting resilience
Rahul, Gill make Afghanistan pay for missed chances
Rahul, despite a shaky start, went on to score his century. He was given a lifeline when Ultraedge showed he had edged the ball earlier in his innings. Gill, who was missed by India in their series loss to South Africa due to a neck spasm, started off with some delightful strokes and survived an LBW appeal. After tea break, he began attacking the bowlers aggressively.
Strategic play
Gill slams his 6th Test ton; Pant powers India further
Following Rahul's exit, Gill and Rishabh Pant put up an aggressive partnership, with the latter hitting three sixes off Abu Malik. This aggressive strokeplay helped India cross the 350-run mark quickly. Gill completed his century with a single, marking his sixth as captain. By the end of Day 1, India had scored 368 runs for three wickets, with Pant also reaching his half-century.
Struggles
Struggles for Afghanistan bowlers
Despite Mohammed Saleem picking two wickets (2/67 from 13 overs) and Ziaur Rahman claiming 1/61 from 15 overs, the Afghan bowlers struggled on a hot day in Mullanpur. They failed to capitalize on early chances and were often wayward with their bowling. This gave Indian batters multiple opportunities to survive and build their innings.
Rahul
Rahul gets to his 12th Test hundred
Rahul made exactly 100 off 165 balls with the help of 11 fours. He has now raced to 4,153 Test runs at 36.42 from 68 matches (119 innings). He has hit 12 hundreds and 20 fifties, as per ESPNcricinfo. During his stay, Rahul also went past 1,500 runs in home Tests (now 1,513 at 42.02). This was his third hundred across 25 Tests in home conditions (50s: 11).
FC
9,000 runs in FC cricket
With his third run, Rahul went past 9,000 runs in First-Class cricket. Playing his 121st FC game, Rahul has raced to 9,097 runs at a fine average of 42-plus. His impressive record now includes 26 centuries and 42 half-centuries. Notably, Rahul made his Test debut in November 2010, nearly four years before his maiden Test appearance.
Sudharsan
Sudharsan hammers his second 80-plus score in Tests
Sudharsan played with great intent, scoring 81 runs off 104 balls with 13 fours. This was his second 80-plus score in the format, as his maiden one was an 87-run knock on the opening day of the second Test against the West Indies at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium last year. He has now raced to 383 runs across seven Tests (12 innings) at an average of 31.91. This was overall his third fifty.
Gill
Gill slams his 6th Test century as captain
Gill made 103* off 143 balls, hammering 11 fours and a six. During his stay, he also broke Sachin Tendulkar's record for completing 1,000 Test runs as the Indian captain in the shortest span of time (351 days). Captain Gill has now raced to 1,053 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 87.75. This includes seven 50-plus scores, including six tons. Overall, Gill has completed 2,946 Test runs at an average of 43-plus. This was his 11th hundred.
Pant
Pant features in his 50th Test
This game marks Pant's 50th appearance in Test cricket. Meanwhile, Pant scored a fifty on Day 1 of the game and returned unbeaten on 50 off 70 balls (2 fours, 3 sixes). He also went past 3,500 runs during his stay (3,526 runs at an average of 42-plus across 87 innings). The one against the Afghan team was his 19th fifty (100s: 8).