Shabman Gul And KL Rahul produced contrasting centuries as India dominated the first day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, scoring 368 for 3 to take a firm grip on the contest.While Rahul relied on patience, discipline and textbook defense to score 100 off 165 balls, skipper Gayle dazzled with his strokeplay and fluidity, finishing unbeaten on 103 off 143 balls. Both showed different styles but achieved the same result, defeating an Afghanistan attack that struggled to contain India’s batting depth.Gill’s innings looked easy for long periods. The Indian captain mixed elegance with authority, hitting 11 fours and a straight six en route to an 11th Test century in just his 41st match. His ability to find boundaries without taking unnecessary risks made the innings almost like a practice session.Sai Sudharsan’s brilliant 81 off 104 balls further highlighted India’s dominance. The left-hander looked poised for a maiden Test century after escaping two chances, one by left-arm spinner Ningyalia Kharothe and the other by off-pacer Zia-ur-Rehman. However, they fell short when Mohammad Saleem edged one behind the stumps.before that, Yeshsavi Jaiswal Departed for 24 after seeing a harmless delivery down the leg side, but Rahul and Sudharsan made up for the loss with a 139-run partnership. Rahul was given an early reprieve when Afghanistan failed to appeal to a weaker edge, and he made the most of the opportunity, reaching his 12th Test century with 11 fours.Just one ball from reaching the historic milestone, Rahul’s innings ended when he angrily walked towards the cover fielder.The final session was by Gill and Rishabh PantHis unbeaten 121-run partnership left Afghanistan chasing shadows in the north Indian heat. Pant played with typical freedom, hitting three sixes in an unbeaten half-century off just 70 balls, while Gayle dictated terms with a mix of classic drives and clever strike rotation.For Afghanistan, Saleem was the most successful bowler with figures of 2 for 67, while Zia-ur-Rehman impressed despite returning only one wicket. Spin was the biggest concern of the department. With their frontline spinners unavailable, the onus fell on Khartoy and Abdul Malik, but neither could consistently trouble India’s batsmen.Kharote finished wicketless despite conceding 95 runs in 20 overs, while Malik also failed to make any progress. India did not attack all out, but still scored runs at a healthy pace throughout the day, hitting 42 fours and four sixes.With the pitch expected to provide increased spin support, India are likely to bat only briefly on the second morning before putting their already slow bowlers under severe pressure from Afghanistan.
