India’s young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar enjoyed a dream start to his Test career, claiming his maiden wicket in his very first over against Afghanistan on Day 2 of the one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday, June 7. The 23-year-old Rajasthan all-rounder, who received his maiden Test cap ahead of the match, wasted little time in making an impact at the highest level.
Suthar struck in the sixth over of Afghanistan’s first innings, providing India with an early breakthrough and a memorable moment in his debut appearance. The dismissal came off the fourth ball of his opening over. Suthar floated a tempting delivery on a good length, inviting Afghanistan opener Abdul Malik to take the aggressive route.
The right-handed batter shuffled across towards the off side and attempted a big slog across the line. However, he failed to get proper control of the shot and only managed a top edge.
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Mohammed Siraj, stationed behind square on the leg side, reacted quickly and settled under the ball before completing a comfortable catch. As soon as the catch was taken, Suthar was surrounded by his teammates, celebrating the first Test wicket of what he hopes will be a long international career.
FIRST OVER, FIRST TEST WICKET! 🤯🔥#ManavSuthar strikes in his first over to secure his maiden Test wicket and give #TeamIndia their opening breakthrough! 🙌🇮🇳#INDvAFG | Only Test ➡️ DAY 2 | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/6GHfw2TEnv pic.twitter.com/bq6n8eTRcb
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 7, 2026
Abdul Malik’s innings ended on 16 runs from 18 deliveries, including three boundaries. His wicket left Afghanistan at 28/1 in 5.4 overs at the tea interval, still trailing India by a massive 536 runs.
Earlier in the match, India produced a dominant batting performance after captain Shubman Gill elected to bat first. KL Rahul led the charge with a composed century, scoring 100 off 165 balls, while Sai Sudharsan impressed with a fluent 81. Gill then anchored the middle order with a superb 126, sharing a crucial 169-run partnership with Rishabh Pant, who contributed 81.
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Washington Sundar remained unbeaten on 52, while Manav Suthar added a useful 28 runs lower down the order as India declared at a commanding 564/8 in 127 overs. With a huge first-innings total on the board and Suthar striking early, India tightened their grip on the Test heading into the latter stages of Day 2.
