India has claimed their biggest run-margin victory in Test cricket after thumping Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in Mullanpur. In a game that ended in 9 sessions, India scored 564/8 in 127 overs and took 20 wickets for just 264 runs in 94.3 overs. It was a proper team effort on return to Test cricket after over 6 months. Some performances were spotless, but not all were exceptional.
IND vs AFG Test: India player ratings
KL Rahul: 9.5/10
It’s not often that an opener manages to score a hundred and you say they didn’t do enough. But that’s the case with KL Rahul. The right-handed opener hasn’t scored a run after reaching his hundred on the last three occasions. His not going big is the reason why his average isn’t high. West Indies last year, and Afghanistan now, Rahul has failed to kick on. India will need him to not just stop at a hundred against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia.
Yashasi Jaiswal: 3/10
Yashasvi Jaiswal got the start but was caught down leg on 24. It’s been a rough couple of months for the southpaw opener, but one can’t judge a maverick like him after a one-off Test.
Sai Sudharsan: 6/10
Sai Sudharsan has yet to get a hundred in Test cricket for India. For a second time, he fell in the 80s. He was dropped, edged the ball in no man’s land, and didn’t look convincing a few times but still managed to score 81. However, Sudharsan hasn’t stamped his authority yet. More than just a hundred, he needs to look assured in the middle. Something he didn’t do that well in Mullanpur. His spin play didn’t look convincing, back foot game, and he’ll have to work on it for the Sri Lanka tour in August.
Shubman Gill: 10/10
Shubman Gill was spotless. His control percentage was in the 90s when he got his hundred, and it was only the second new ball that extracted an error from him. Gill is averaging over 80 as captain, and he’ll want to continue dominating with the bat in the remainder of the World Test Championship cycle.
Rishabh Pant: 8/10
Prior to the Test, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir talked about Rishabh Pant failing to adapt to the situation in the past. The wicketkeeper-batter heard that loud and clear. He started slowly, took time to settle, and chose when to attack. However, he once again missed a hundred. Pant has 8 centuries and 6 dismissals in the 80s and 90s now.
Dhruv Jurel: 3/10
Dhruv Jurel missed out on a golden opportunity. He scored 29 runs in 4 innings against South Africa, and this was the time to solidify his case for the number six spot. But Jurel has failed. Mohammad Saleem Safi, who took a 6-fer, cleaned him up. Now, he’s in a precarious position. Jurel might be dropped in Sri Lanka, with Ravindra Jadeja coming into the team.
Washington Sundar: 8/10
Washington Sundar’s batting continues to impress, but his bowling is a slight concern. After showing signs that he can turn it big against New Zealand in 2024, Washington has seemingly lost that zip. His control isn’t exceptional either. His 4-fer in the second innings included three aerial shots. It wasn’t exactly great bowling but rather horrible awareness and shot selection from the Afghanistan batters. He needs to work on his bowling ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.
Manav Suthar: 10/10
On debut, Manav Suthar was flawless with the ball. A 6-wicket haul in the first innings. But it wasn’t the scalps that impressed, but rather the amount of turn, dip, and drift Suthar got, and that too while bowling around 90 km consistently. He handily outbowled the other spinners. His line and lengths were immaculate, challenging the pad and the edge. With the bat, he chipped in with a 28-run cameo. Won the ‘player of the match’ for his efforts and looks like a proper find for India.
Kuldeep Yadav: 7/10
Kuldeep Yadav didn’t find his lengths until the second innings, and when he did, the left-arm wrist spinner proved to be a handful. Playing a Test after 7-8 months isn’t easy, and Kuldeep needed some time to settle in. Luckily, he found his mojo. He, too, didn’t have a good couple of months like Jaiswal and will have some time to work on his skills after getting rested for the upcoming white-ball series.
Mohammed Siraj: 7/10
Mohammed Siraj looked jaded and one can’t fault him. He didn’t look 100% and it showed in the first innings. But, in the second innings, his pace, line and length were much better. Siraj ended the game with one wicket but the fact that he even played shows his commitment to Test cricket.
Prasidh Krishna: 9/10
Playing his first home Test, Prasidh Krishna was on the money from the get-go. His pace troubled the Afghani batters. He kept bowling, targetting the stumps, and bowled the short ball to mix things up and push the batters back. All three dismissals were bowled or LBW. On low-bounce Indian surfaces, that’s what you need to do, and Prasidh showed that he can do that rather than bowling his usual back-of-the-length stuff.
Cricket
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