India v/s Afghanistan Test Day 1: Afghan bowlers fight back after tough initiation

After all the excitement leading up to Afghanistan’s historic occasion of stepping out on the field in whites, reality struck the 12th nation to play the longest format at the international stage. And, it struck them really hard in the first two sessions before they bounced back in the third.

It was an initiation into Test cricket they would not have preferred. But, Afghanistan got a taste of what playing at this level was all about. The No. 1 Test-playing nation India made the debutants toil on a day that was interrupted twice by rain.

Nothing went right for Asghar Stanikzai, Afghanistan’s first Test captain, right from the toss. Until the third session, that is.

The Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay made merry on a batting beauty to register their individual hundreds. But, both will be disappointed with themselves for not making their centuries big, the left-handed Dhawan falling for 107 and his right-handed partner Vijay for 105.

Apart from the openers’ centuries, India’s new No. 3 KL Rahul, walking out in place of Cheteshwar Pujara, who was pushed to No. 4 in place of the absent Virat Kohli, fell for yet another fifty. But, post tea belonged to Afghanistan, who claimed five wickets in the extended session to have India at 347/6 at stumps.

While India did not lose any wicket before lunch, they lost one in the middle session. No sooner had Dhawan and Vijay started batting than they made Afghanistan realise that Test cricket was not a walk in the park. They shared 168 in quick time, 158 of them coming in the first session with the 32-year-old left-handed Dhawan creating history before lunch.

Dhawan, en route to his seventh Test century, became the first Indian, and sixth overall, to reach the three-figure mark before lunch on the first day. The 32-year-old Dhawan continued on the IPL mode, destroying the inexperienced Afghanistan attack including the much-talked about leg-spinner Rashid Khan and the off-break bowler Mujeeb ur Rahman, at will.

On the other hand, Vijay lived up to his tag of a Test specialist, playing the attack the traditional way, defending and only punishing the loose deliveries. Vijay was also not required to go after the bowling as Dhawan was doing the works.

It was Dhawan all the way in the pre-lunch session until he edged medium-pacer Yamin Ahmadzai to second slip, where Rahmat Shah failed to hold on to the offering but the deflection was snapped up by Mohammad Nabi at first. Dhawan toyed with the Afghanistan bowlers including the leg-spinning IPL sensation, 19-year-old Rashid.

Dhawan, after playing the cuts and drives to the new ball operators Ahmadzai and Wafadar, welcomed Rashid to the crease with three fours in four deliveries, destroying the confidence of his Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mate. Dhawan used the advantage of facing Rashid in the nets for two seasons during the IPL to dominate the leg-spinner, who mixed his leg-spinners and googlies.

Dhawan, though, did not allow Rashid to settle down to a steady line, driving and sweeping the leg-spinner and even stepping out to loft him straight for six. With runs being scored easily against Rashid, the bowlers at the other end including their senior off-spinning all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, could not land the ball in the right areas.

On the rare occasion that they caught the Indians off-guard, Dhawan, on 23*, was lucky to escape with a faint edge off Wafadar not given out caught behind by Chris Gaffaney, and Afghanistan did not choose to use DRS after a lengthy discussion.

From a healthy 248/1 when the rain first halted play for an hour, and then 264/1 in the second interruption, India lost five wickets to a mixture of pace and spin. The extended spells given to Rashid Khan, who troubled the Indians and even picked up his first wicket, trapping India captain Ajinkya Rahane following a DRS, also saw bowlers from the other end contain the hosts. The pressure also cost them the wickets, five of them for an additional 99 runs in the day’s last session making it honours shared.

A bowler like Mujeeb, who went for plenty in his first two spells, returned with impressive final spell of 7-1-13-1, dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara to a well-taken catch by Nabi at leg slip, making up for a straight forward chance floored off the same batsman in the previous over off Rashid at first slip.

ALL IN A DAY’S PLAY

SESSION 1: DHAWAN ALL THE WAY

India opener Shikhar Dhawan toys with the inexperienced Afghanistan bowlers in their first session in Test cricket, reaching his seventh century before lunch, becoming the first Indian ever to do so on the opening day of a Test. Murali Vijay plays a patient, typical Test knock as the duo post their third century partnership.
Scores at lunch: India 158/0 in 27 ov (M Vijay 41*, S Dhawan 104*) vs Afghanistan

SESSION 2: RAIN PLAYS SPOILSPORT

Shikhar Dhawan falls to medium-pacer Yamin Ahmadzai in the second over after lunch, edging to second slip Rahmat Shah, who failed to hold on to the shoulder-high offering but did well enough to deflect to first slip Md Nabi. Murali Vijay and KL Rahul share 80 runs before rain forces players indoors with Vijay on 94*.
Scores at tea: India 248/1 in 45.1 ov (M Vijay 94*, KL Rahul 33*) vs Afghanistan

SESSION 3: AFGHANISTAN BOUNCE BACK

The going seemed good for India until Murali Vijay offered no stroke to pacer Wafadar soon after reaching his third successive century in Tests in India and is out leg before. Barring Cheteshwar Pujara, who makes 35 at No. 4, others fail to capitalise on the start. Rashid is a different bowler, troubling the Indians.

Scores (at stumps): India 347/6 in 78 overs (H Pandya 10*, R Ashwin 7*) v/s Afghanistan