India registered their biggest-ever Test victory on Monday, crushing Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, with spinners stealing the show across all three days.
Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar was the standout performer, claiming a six-wicket haul in Afghanistan’s first innings to help India enforce the follow-on. His prodigious turn and sharp variations on a pitch that offered increasing assistance to slow bowlers left the Afghan batters completely clueless. Suthar was named Player of the Match on a memorable debut.
Washington Sundar then took centre stage in the second innings, picking up 4 for 36 with smart drift through the air, while Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with three wickets as India’s spin trio shared all 10 wickets between them. Afghanistan’s lower order collapsed spectacularly, losing their last five wickets for just 14 runs to be bowled out for 112, sealing India’s historic win.
Captain Shubman Gill led the celebrations as India surpassed their previous record innings victory. For Afghanistan, the lack of Test experience proved costly, as captain Hashmatullah Shahidi acknowledged: “India is a tough team to play in these conditions. We learned a lot from this game.”
With no Ashwin or Jadeja in the squad, India’s next generation of spinners delivered emphatically.
