Suthar bags six, guides India to their biggest Test victory

Debutant spinner Suthar’s 7 wickets helped wrap up the one-off Test match inside three days

- Shalini Gupta

India completed a demolition of Afghanistan, winning the one-off Test by an innings and 300 runs inside three days at the New Chandigarh Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Although the hosts dominated every department, the game will be remembered for the dream debut of 23-year-old left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, whose seven-wicket match haul, six of them in the first innings, played the central role in India’s emphatic victory.

After piling up 564/8 declared in the first innings then dismissing Afghanistan for 152 and enforcing the follow-on, India never allowed Afghanistan a route back into the contest. The visitors were routed for 112 in the second innings.

The star of the final day was Suthar, whose control, patience and ability to exploit the pitch conditions earned him 6/33 in the first innings and 1/29 in the second. The Rajasthan spinner repeatedly troubled the batters with subtle pace variation and relentless accuracy. Although Afghanistan batters didn’t pose much challenge in Tests, his 10 maidens in the first innings showed his control.