IND vs AFG Test: KL Rahul, Shubman Gill's centuries help India post 368/3 on Day 1

With Rishabh Pant's half-century, Day 1 of the India vs Afghanistan Test comes to a cose. Shubman Gill remains unbeaten on 103, while Rishabh Pant remains not out on 50. The two added a 121-run stand. KL Rahul set the tone with a century, while Sai Sudharsan scored 81.

Rishabh Pant gets to his 19th half-century off 70 balls. He hasn't had the same trajectory as he always does. Today, he has played as per the merit of the deliveries with no aggressive intent.

Shubman Gill has moved into the Top 5 of Most Test centuries by an Indian captain. This was his 6th century. 

Most hundreds as captain for India in Tests

• 20 - Virat Kohli (113 inns)
• 11 - Sunil Gavaskar (74 inns)
• 9 - Mohd. Azharuddin (78 inns)
• 7 - Sachin Tendulkar (43 inns)
• 6 - Shubman Gill (15 inns)

Shubman Gill brings up his 11th Test century, 6th in the last 12 months and as the captain. Today, he put up an aggressive stance, getting to the century, at his home ground, in just 135 balls. As the captain, he has been averaging nearly 90 in Test cricket.

Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant bring up a 100-run partnership. And it has come in quick time, off just 127 balls. Shubman has been the aggressor in this stand as he is just 4 runs away from his century.

India 335/3 in 77 overs. India have progressed steadily to 335/3 as Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant adopted a highly cautious, risk-free approach against the disciplined spin bowling of Nangeyalia Kharote and Hashmatullah Shahidi. The Afghan duo maintained tight lines with off-breaks and arm balls, resulting in a quiet, boundary-less phase dominated by solid forward defences, soft-handed pushes, and easy singles down the ground or into the deep. While Kharote managed to beat Gill's outside edge once with some late shape, the Indian batters looked completely in control, remaining perfectly content to patiently milk the bowling and rotate the strike without taking any unnecessary gambles.

After remaining quiet for 21 balls, Rishabh Pant hammers three back-to-back sixes to race to 25 runs off 27 deliveries. With that, India have gone past the 300-run mark.

Shubman Gill has scored 1000 runs for India after becoming the captain and is the 11th player to do so. He got there in his 15th innings, the second-quickest for India behind Sunil Gavaskar (14 innings). He also took the least number of days (351 days) by an Indian captain to reach there.

33 - Sunil Gavaskar (203)
22 - Virender Sehwag (168)
12 - Murali Vijay (100)
11 - KL Rahul (101)*

Front-foot: 40(86), SR: 46.51, 3 fours
Back-foot: 52(71), SR: 73.23, 7 fours
Down the track/other: 8(8), SR: 100.0, 1 four

Shubman Gill slams his 9th Test half-century, becoming the third Indian batter to score over 50 runs on Day 1 of the one-off Test. He took 68 deliveries to breach the fifty-run mark.

KL Rahul slams his 12th Test century, his 3rd at home as India continue to dominate. It took 164 deliveries for KL to breach the triple-figure mark. He has scored 11 boundaries so far. The very next ball, he departs after sending the ball straight to the fielder. Gurbaz takes a good catch at the covers.

55 overs have been bowled and Afghanistan have managed to take only 2 wickets so far on Day 1. India are 230/2, with KL Rahul closing in on his century while captain Shubman Gill looks well settled. The fifty-run partnership comes up between the two batters.

KL Rahul will aim to complete his century as he resumes on 81. Shubman Gill begins the final session of Day 1 on 20, and he will look to add quick runs. For Afghanistan, they need wickets and their loose bowling hasn't helped.

It's Tea, Day 1. India post India set the tone right after lunch. India scored 113/1 in 25 overs in the 2nd session. KL Rahul came out firing with back-to-back boundaries in the very first over, quickly bringing up his 21st Test fifty. Sai Sudharsan wasn't holding back either. He took on the left-arm spinner, smashing three fours in a row to reach his third Test half-century. Afghanistan went completely empty-handed for the first half of the session, though they did create one solid chance. Ziaur Rahman managed to find Sai's outside edge when he was on 59, but the keeper couldn't quite reel it in on the dive.

However, Sudharsan finally perished to Saleem Safi for 81. Sudharsan, who was dropped earlier on 59, couldn't get away with it a second time. That ended a 139-run stand with KL Rahul. 

Afghanistan review an LBW decision against Shubman Gill, poor one. The delivery was a slower, flighted ball at 75.7 kph by Hashmatullah Shahidi that pitched on a length and spun sharply past Gill’s inside edge as he lunged forward to defend. While the on-field umpire turned down the confident appeal, UltraEdge confirmed a flat line with no bat involved. However, ball-tracking revealed the delivery spun far too much, comfortably missing leg stump, meaning the not-out decision stands.

Shubman Gill joins KL Rahul in the middle. And he has made his intent clear. He wants to attack and take advantage of the conditions.

A breakthrough for Afghanistan and its Sai Sudharsan, who departs. Sai tried to drive a Saleem Safi delivery. But he got a bottom-edge and the keeper dived to take an excellent catch. He will be disappointed not to get a century today. He was playing so well.

Both Sai Sudharsan and KL Rahul are settled, thanks to the missed opportunities by Afghanistan. And they are set for a big partnership. Sudharssan has gone past Rahul in hitting more deliveries for runs. Rahul is taking it easy on the crease.

The hundred-run partnership comes up between KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan. Six bowlers have been used so far by Afghanistan but they have failed to get the second wicket. India are 150/1

Now, it is Sai Sudharsan's turn to raise the bat as he reaches his half-century. This is his third Test fifty. The partnership between him and Rahul is now worth 92 runs and the duo have dominated the second session so far. Afghanistan bowlers continue to hunt for their second breakthrough.

KL Rahul reaches his 21st half-century as he hits a four off Kharote to reach the milestone. The batter got an early lifeline, then initially struggled to get going before settling down. Now, he seems to be in a good flow. 

Half-century for vice-captain KL Rahul!

He brings up his 21st Test FIFTY 👏👏

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/Au50EfVM30 #TeamIndia | #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @klrahul pic.twitter.com/EPhDr6c8CL

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 6, 2026

A couple of fours from KL Rahul in the first over the second session takes India past the 100-run mark in the one-off Test.

💯 up for #TeamIndia! 💪

KL Rahul & Sai Sudharsan putting up a solid show in the middle. 👍

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/Au50EfVM30#INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/lz4Kvd6S2l

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 6, 2026

The second session of Day 1 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan is underway. KL Rahul is 13 runs away from his half-century and has already gone past 9000 runs in first-class cricket. Kharoti starts for AFG.

• No shot: 0(25)
• Defended: 0(23), False shot%: 8.6
• Rotating: 10(30), False shot%: 20.0, Run Rate: 2.0
• Attacked: 57(30), False shot%: 13.3, Run Rate: 11.4

In under 10 minutes, KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan will walk out to the middle to resume the innings for Team India. After a good first session, the duo will be aiming to pile up more runs and misery on Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the visitors will be aiming to pick up more wickets.

This is the first time, the Indian national team has 6 players from the same IPL team - Sudharsan, Gill, Washington, Suthar, Siraj, Prasidh. There have been 42 matches with 5 players from same IPL team (34 CSK, 5 DC, 1 RCB, 1 MI, 1 GT)

• Over: 25
• Score: 96-1
• Batsmen: Sai Sudharsan: 32 runs off 49 balls, KL Rahul: 37 runs off 70 balls

That's it from the first session for India. A testing period for sure as Afghanistani bowlers made it tough for the batters. India finish the morning session at 96/1, with KL Rahul scoring 37 and Jaiswal getting out for 24. Saleem Saifi was perhaps the most impressive with his decent pace as he hurried some batters. 

Omarzai was as usual tight in his lines, while Ziaur found some shape early on. Among spinners, Kharote produced a chance but the fielding didn't help. A DRS call wasn't made when AFG needed to and India would be the happier side going into Lunch on Day 1. 

DAY 1 LUNCH
96-1
KL Rahul - 37(70)
Sai Sudharsan - 32(49)#INDvsAFG | #TestCricket pic.twitter.com/oZYo2C744P

— ＭＡＨＥ⚡Ｈ (@Armahi_) June 6, 2026

Afghanistan just missed another catch – their 3rd missed chance in this morning session.

Sai Sudharsan tried to block a ball from left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote. He was late and got an outside edge. The ball flew low and fast to Rahmanullah Gurbaz at first slip.
Gurbaz was slow to react and only managed to touch it with his fingertips before it went down. Easy chance, but he couldn’t hold on.

IND: 84/1 after 21 overs (KL Rahul 32*, Sai 26*)

SAI SUDHARSAN DROPPED ON 20 RUNS. pic.twitter.com/Ujb9NnbJrv

— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) June 6, 2026

KL Rahul hits a delightful straight hit for a four to bring up 50 for India!

KL looking very watchful here, as he dabs one for a four off Saleem before settling for a single off a full toss. Meanwhile, Sai Sudharsan has also opened his innings with a superb four off Omarzai to the mid-wicket region in the 15th over. Not just this, he got a similar boundary to end the 16th for India too. 

The bounce isn't much here in Mullanpur and KL has taken his time to settle in, switching from white-ball cricket to red-ball. 

IND: 55/1 after 16 overs. 

Afghanistan get their much-deserved wicket! 

At the stroke of the first hour, pacer Saleem Safi gets his maiden Test wicket in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was looking good upto that point. A harmless delivery down the leg side and Jaiswal tried to have a feel of it only to edge it to the keeper. 

Just after KL Rahul gets a massive lifeline, Jaiswal's luck runs out and he gets out for 24. Sai Sudharsan is the new batter in! 

Pic Credit: JioHotstar

IND: 41/1 (KL Rahul 16*, Sai 0*)

What a lifeline for KL Rahul! 

A wide, fifth-stumpe delivery from Ziaur and Rahul went for a cut. While there were shouts of an appeal from the Afghani team but the umpire denied it. Rahmanullag Gurbaz was adamant but Hashmatullah Shahidi didn't opt for a review. 

After a few seconds, the big screen showed that there was a nick off KL Rahul's bat! The Snicko meter showed a spike when the ball went past KL's bat. A huge reprieve for the Indian opener, who has completed 9000 FC runs in this innings. 

IND: 37/0 after 11 overs (KL Rahul 16*, Jaiswal 20*) 

A crucial chance missed by Afghanistan to secure the big wicket of KL Rahul 👀

📸: JioHotstar #Mullanpur #INDvsAFG #Tests #Insidesport #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/afVMoFQCeQ

— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) June 6, 2026

Contrary to what we saw in the IPL, there's a very low turnout so far for the morning session in India's 31st Test centre in New Chandigarh. Can say that only 15-20% of the stadium is filled. With India batting first, we can expect the ground to be filled as the day progresses. 

IND: 29/0 after 9 overs (Rahul 13*, Jaiswal 15*)

As was expected, hardly anyone turns up at the New Chandigarh ground.
Hope it gets better as the day progresses.@sportstarweb pic.twitter.com/ism0BDJlBM

— Abhishek Saini (@abhisheksainiii) June 6, 2026

Afghanistan pacers have operated at tight lengths, barring a couple of overpitched deliveries. Ziaur and Azamtullah Omarzai have taken the new ball on a surface that has a tinge of grass over it. This could be the best opportunity for pacers. 

KL Rahul has been beaten on multiple occasions. In fact, Omarzai has been bowling really well despite him not being very quick. Nonetheless, Ziaur has now started to find some shape away from his third over. He is hitting the seam with an open-chested bowling action. Rahul being watchful here. 

IND: 15/0 after 5 overs. (KL rahul 4* off 14, Jaiswal 11* off 16)

Pic Credit: BCCI

India are playing a home Test without Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja for the first time in 15 years.

The last such occasion was coming against New Zealand in Nagpur in November 2010, and since then, at least one of the duo has been featuring in all 69 of India’s home Tests.

Today, India's spin-bowling unit involves Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and debutant Manav Suthar.

Getting off to the mark on the first delivery with a dab on the leg side, Yashasvi Jaiswal kick-starts the Test match. Ziaur Rahman takes the new ball for Afghanistan but leaks the first boundary of the match as well, overpitching and getting smashed for a lovely drive by Jaiswal! 

IND: 6/0 after 1 over.

Good morning from Yashasvi Jaiswal! 🌞

He takes no time to punish the full ball with pure timing. 💪#INDvAFG | Only Test ➡️ DAY 1 | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/hURsU016bX pic.twitter.com/vvCfWjUHIh

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 6, 2026

Both teams make their way onto the field and it is time for the National Anthems! 

Afghanistan's followed by India's!

Test Runs for India Since Rishabh Pant's Debut

Rank	Player	Runs
1	Rishabh Pant	3,476
2	Virat Kohli	3,436
3	Ravindra Jadeja	2,899
4	Shubman Gill	2,843
5	Rohit Sharma	2,822

While it is KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal who will open for India, an eye will be kept on Rishabh Pant, who will play as a player and not as a vice-captain. He lost his vice-captaincy before this series, and Gautam Gambhir adressed about it as well. Read more about it below. 

India Playing XI

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Afghanistan Playing XI

Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Afsar Zazai(w), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi

Captain Shubman Gill wins the toss and India will BAT FIRST in the Only Test against Afghanistan at New Chandigarh! 🙌🏏

🇮🇳 DEBUT ALERT: Manav Suthar makes his Test debut for India! 👏💙#INDvAFG | Only Test ➡️ DAY 1 | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/hURsU016bX pic.twitter.com/DT1ue9bL5p

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 6, 2026

Rajasthan's Manav Suthar has received his debut cap for India from fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav. 

The smile says it all ☺️🧢

Congratulations to debutant Manav Suthar as he receives his #TeamIndia Test cap from Kuldeep Yadav 🙌

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/Au50EfVM30#INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/YRa3nUnYIY

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 6, 2026

Well, it is a bright morning in New Chandigarh. As far as the toss is concerned, it is Shubman Gill who won the toss and decides to bat first. 

Gill confirms that Manav Suthar, and not Harsh Dubey, makes his India debut.