Table of Contents
Day 1 of the India vs Afghanistan one-off Test match has just ended, with two centurions and two fifties on the first day of the play. Skipper Shubman Gill and vice-captain KL Rahul scored hundreds on the opening day of the Test match. The latter has been dismissed on 100 runs, and the India skipper is still unbeaten.
India won the toss and opted to bat first at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh. Manav Suthar made his debut for the side in the whites. However, it has been a day of the leaders for the Men in Blue side at the Mullanpur Stadium. KL Rahul started off scoring his 12th hundred in the format.
Gill and KL Rahul scores century at end of Day 1
This was followed by Gill, who is still unbeaten on the score of 103 runs, and alongside him, Rishabh Pant, in his 50th Test match, is batting on the score of 50 runs. Apart from them, Sai Sudharsan, who looked in good shape, missed out on a well-deserved century as he was back for 81 runs.
KL Rahul, who scored his 3rd century on home soil, was unfortunate to be dismissed on the very next ball. He has been one of the finest batters for India across formats. The Karnataka batter explained his happiness after scoring the century and also emphasised on the switch from the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) to Test cricket in span of few days.
Really happy- KL Rahul happy after scoring hundred
"Really happy that I could get some time in the middle. To make that switch from T20 to Test cricket in a matter of couple of days was the most pleasing thing. It was extremely hot, I was exhausted. It wasn't coming on at all. It was really slow and low, which we did expect. It was pretty similar in the training as well."
"I had to make that switch of letting the ball go and getting used to the conditions. Training did help a lot. I did feel the urge to play few shots and I don't think it is a bad thing. It's something I have been telling myself as well. Sometimes you sit and over analyze. I try and not restrict my shots."
I think it will assist- KL Rahul on whether it will assist spinners
Further, KL Rahul added, speaking about the pitch conditions as he believes it is good for the pacers, and with the cracks opening as the day passed by, the spinners will come into play. India have three spinners playing in this game in the form of Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar. With three quality spinners, the Afghans will have a difficult time when they come to bat.
"No, I think it will assist a bit of good bowling. I think even the fast bowlers will be in the game because the cracks are opening up and the soil is not really hard. It's a loose kind of soil on top. So I think there will be a lot of uneven bounce going ahead in the game."
"Anyone who can bowl over the top as a spinner and vary their pace and keep the wickets in play, I think they'll find it rewarding and there will definitely be some help. There's a bit of rough as well."
"So Washi (Washington Sundar) and Manav (Suthar), if they are bowling to right-handers and left-handers respectively, I think the rough will be in play and hopefully we can build that pressure and put the balls in the right areas and get some wickets early on and put pressure on them."
Also Read: Shubman Gill breaks major WTC record for India with stunning hundred vs Afghanistan
