Mohammad Saleem Safi: India’s batting charge continued to shine bright on day two of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, with skipper Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant hitting 126 and 81, respectively, before the visitors struck back to claim three wickets in the first session.
At lunch, India are at 475/6 in 110 overs, with Washington Sundar (14 not out) and debutant Manav Suthar (nine not out) at the crease. Gill, resuming from overnight score of 103 not out with authority, extended his innings to a commanding 126 off 177 balls before falling to Mohammad Saleem Safi, who bowled a fiery and disciplined spell with pace and movement with the second new ball.
Pant, who looked equally assured, mixed caution with aggression to reach 81 off 121 balls. But his dismissal to skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who also got his first Test wicket, mirrored Sai Sudharsan’s fate from the previous day - both left-handers falling short of centuries after hitting promising fifties.
