Pant misses century in Afghanistan Test, India 476 for six at Lunch
New Chandigarh, June 7
India lost three wickets in the first session of Day 2 of the one-off Test match against Afghanistan being played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here.
India were comfortably placed at 476 for six wickets at Lunch.
Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill started the day's play with 368/3 on board and soon added 48 runs before Gill lost his wicket to Mohammad Saleem Safi. The Indian skipper made 126 runs off 177 balls with the help of 15 fours and a six.
Gill also completed 1000 runs as India's Test captain. His batting average of 82.8 is the second-best-ever for any Test skipper with 1000 runs in the format. His average is only behind legendary Don Bradman's 101.5.
Gill added 169 runs for the fourth wicket with Pant, which is the highest stand for India for any wicket against Afghanistan.
Dhruv Jurel added 36 runs for the fifth wicket with Pant before Safi bowled him. His dismissal was very bizarre, as he left a straight delivery which went into the wickets. Jurel made 19 runs with the help of four boundaries.
Pant was the next to depart. He missed a well-deserved century when he threw his wicket to Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, while trying for a big shot. It was Shahidi's maiden Test wicket. Pant made 81 off 121 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes.
At Lunch break, Washington Sundar (14* off 25 balls) was unbeaten at the crease with Manav Suthar (9* off 20 balls). Safi is on the verge of a five-wicket haul.
India vs Afghanistan one-off Test - Playing XIs
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Shubman Gill's captaincy record is just phenomenal - averaging 82.8 as Test skipper! Only Bradman ahead of him. And that 169-run partnership with Pant shows our future is in safe hands. Jurel needs to work on his shot selection though, leaving that straight delivery was poor.
Good to see India experimenting with players like Manav Suthar and Washington Sundar in the lower order. Even without Rohit, Kohli, and Bumrah, the bench strength is impressive. Afghanistan's bowlers have shown some fight but this is a learning experience for them.
Pant throwing his wicket away at 81? Yaar, that's so frustrating! He was playing so well. But credit to Shahidi for his first Test wicket - Afghanistan will celebrate that moment. India should declare soon and give our bowlers some time to attack. 😤
Mohammed Saleem Safi is bowling really well - on the verge of a five-wicket haul against this strong Indian lineup. Jurel's dismissal was bizarre indeed, he just left it like it was a wide! India at 476/6 is still commanding though. Brilliant batting display overall.
Is anyone else impressed by the Gill-Pant partnership? 169 runs is the highest stand for India against Afghanistan in Tests! And Gill completing 1000 runs as captain with an average of 82.8 - that's incredible company with Sir Don. Indian cricket's future is looking very bright! 🌟
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