Manav Suthar-Washington Sundar combine fashions India’s biggest innings win
In the inevitable Afghanistan free fall that was bound to occur on the third day, India arrived at a result without overstretching the batting and bowling departments. With 14 wickets felled shortly after tea on Monday, Shubman Gill’s men also held time to rearrange the record books with India’s largest ever innings victory – by an innings and 300 runs. The new PCA Stadium’s subdued Test initiation also successfully soft-launched India’s bid to regain their sub-continental flavours before the World Test Championship (WTC) trip to Sri Lanka in two months. Adding onto the 412-run innings lead that they sucked out inside 20 overs in the morning would have meant a futile exercise in the heat. Having bundled the visitors at 152, Gill decided it was best to deploy his spin forces back on again, with a sprightly debutant and a poised off-spinner’s drifters muting the Afghan resistance. Ten minutes after he led his side off the field with a rare feat in his first Test match bowling innings, Manav Suthar was back on, this time …
