Suthar’s Spin Masterclass Leaves Afghan Reeling in Mullanpur Test

Mullanpur: Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar orchestrated a magnificent bowling masterclass on Day 3 of the one-off Test, picking up a six-wicket haul to put India in absolute command against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.

After bundling out the visitors for a paltry 152 in their first innings, Indian captain Shubman Gill enforced the follow-on before the lunch break. In their second essay, Afghanistan fought back into safety, reaching 49/1 after 15.3 overs, still trailing the hosts by a massive 363 runs.

Resuming the third day at a precarious overnight score of 113/5—and trailing India by 451 runs—Afghanistan pinned their hopes on their settled veteran batsman Rahmat Shah. However, Suthar turned the contest on its head with relentless precision on a drying Mullanpur track.Prasidh Krishna provided the initial morning breakthrough by rattling the stumps early, but it was Suthar who triggered a catastrophic final collapse. He outsmarted Sharafuddin Ashraf into a forced edge to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant before producing the ball of the match: a beautifully flighted delivery that dipped, spun past the bat, and castled Rahmat Shah for a fighting 60.

Suthar wrapped up his sensational figures of 6 for 33 by trapping Mohammad Saleem Safi leg-before-wicket. In doing so, he became only the 10th Indian bowler in history to claim a five-wicket haul on Test debut. Afghanistan lost their final five wickets for the addition of just 36 runs.

Afghanistan Show Gritty Resistance Post Follow-OnWith an overwhelming lead of 412 runs, India immediately sent Afghanistan back in to bat. Openers Abdul Malik and Sediqullah Atal adjusted their strategy defensively, showing admirable resilience during a tense opening hour to briefly deny the Indian pacers an early opening breakthrough.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 14th over when Mohammed Siraj struck for India, trapping Abdul Malik lbw for 8 runs off 40 balls to break the steady 42-run opening partnership. Aggressive top-order batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz then joined a well-set Atal (34* off 43 balls) to see out the remainder of the session without further damage.With plenty of rough patches developing on the surface, India’s spin duo of Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav look primed to turn the screw as the final session approaches.