India vs Afghanistan Test, Day 2: India beat Afghanistan, clinch innings victory

Bengaluru: Afghanistan’s  historic debut Test turned out to be a nightmare as they suffered an innings defeat to Ajinkya Rahane-led India in the one-off match here on Friday.

Rahane’s men beat the Test newcomers by an innings and 262 runs.

The match was just in its seacond day, and a record 24 wickets had fallen on Friday.

After having bowled out the hosts for 474, the Afghans were in turn dismissed for a disappointing 109, with India having eforced the follow-on. The visitors were trailing by 365 runs at that time.

In their second innings, the visitors suffered the same fate as they did in the first innings.

Except for a 37-run stand between Asghar Stanikzai and Hashmatullah Shahidi, there was nothing much to take as a positive for the Test debutants.

Afghanistan 85-8 from 32.5 overs

WICKET! Ahmadzai is clean bowled by Ishant Sharma for just one run as Afghanistan are on the verge of a defeat.

Afghanistan 82-7 from 29.2 overs

WICKET! Rashid Khan is bowled for 12 by Ravindra Jadeja, who gets his third wicket.

Afghanistan 62-6 from 25.3 overs

WICKET! Once again, Jadeja does the trick as he bowls out Afsar Zazai, who manages just one run. India are four wickets away from completing a dominant win!

Afghanistan 61-5 from 23.4 overs

WICKET! Ravindra Jadeja strikes as he removes captain Asghar Stanikzai for 25 runs, courtesy a Shikhar Dhawan catch at extra cover. The visitors have lost half their side yet again.

Afghanistan 24/4 after 7 overs:

WICKET! Drifted into the pads by Ishant, Rahmat tucks it to Rahane at mid-wicket.

Afghanistan 22/3 after 6 overs:

LBW! India have three wickets already thanks to Yadav. The bowler this time nips one back into Nabi who is struck on the pads which attempting to tuck it away. India

WICKET! Umesh is leading the charge here. Ahmadi nicks one to Dhawan at slips and the visitors are losing the plot.

Afghanistan 19/1 after 4 overs:

CAUGHT! Shahzad departs early again. Umesh bowls it outside off, tempting the batsman to play. Gets an outside edge straight to the keeper.

Afghanistan 109/10 after 27 overs:

The Indian bowling attack wreaked havoc on Day 2 of the one-off Test here on Friday as Afghanistan were bowled out for a paltry 109. Ajinkya Rahane and co have now enforced the follow-on as the visitors trail by 365 runs. R Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets to his name.

STUMPED! Mujeeb goes for the reverse sweep but is way behind his crease. Dinesh Karthik does the rest behind the stumps.

Afghanistan 88/9 after 29 overs:

CAUGHT! Mohammad Nabi tries to smack it over mid-wicket but gets a top edge. Ishant Sharma takes a brilliant catch in the deep.

Afghanistan 78/7 after 22 overs:

SOFT DISMISSAL! Rashid Khan attemps to smack Jadeja outside off but the extra bounce prevents him from playing his shot down the ground. Umesh Yadav at backward point takes a practice catch.

Afghanistan 59/6 from 16.4 overs:

WICKET! Six down! R Ashwin has his second wicket. Hashmatullah Shahidi is out LBW. He opts for a review but that's plumb. 4 reds. Out.

Afghanistan 50/5 from 12.3 overs:

WICKET! That's beaut! R Ashwin strikes in his first over. A tossed-up off-spinning delivery and it sneaks through Asghar Stanikzai's defence. What a start! What a ball! Gem.

Afghanistan 35/4 from 9.1 overs:

WICKET! The middle stump is uprooted. Ishant Sharma's 'pitch-it up' mantra is paying dividends here. Afsar Zazai can't do much about it. Second wicket for the tall and lanky Delhi pacer.

Afghanistan 35/4 from 8.2 overs:

WICKET! OUT LBW! Umesh Yadav has his 100th Test wicket as Rahmat Shah is trapped before the wickets. Low bounce and Shah is caught on the backfoot. It's hitting the stumps. Afghanistan 3 down.

Afghanistan 21/2 from 4 overs:

WICKET! Disturbs the timber! Ishant Sharma strikes. Javed Ahmadi departs as the ball sneaks through the gap of bad and pad. Afghanistan 2 down.

Afghanistan 15/1 from 4 overs:

WICKET! Run out! Performed with the bat and now, a direct hit to end Mohammad Shahzad's stay in the middle. Hardik Pandya has done everything right so far today.

Indian innings:

Hardik Pandya’s half-century and important contributions from Umesh Yadav (26*), R Ashwin (18) and Ravindra Jadeja (20) powered India to 474, after resuming play at 347/6, on Day 2 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan here on Friday.

While Shikhar Dhawan (107) and Murali Vijay (105) dominated the Afghanistan bowlers on Day 1, Hardik Pandya’s 71 helped India 127 runs to their overnight score on Day 2.

For Afghanistan, Yamin Ahmadzai was the pick of the bowler as he scalped three wickets, conceding 51 runs in his nineteen overs.

India 474 all out from 104.5 overs:

WICKET! Ishant Sharma out LBW off Rashid Khan and that's the end of the Indian innings.

India 440/9 after 100 overs:

CAUGHT! Soft dismissal as Hardik makes way to the pavilion. Wafadar nips one back into the batsman at an acute angle, cramping him for room. Hardik aims to run it down third man but gets an edge which heads to the keeper.

India 438/8 after 99 overs:

WICKET! Mohammad Nabi gets his first Test wicket. Round the stumps, tossed up outside off stump, inviting Jadeja to play him down the track. The batsman gets the height but not the elevation as he finds Rahmat at long off.

India 434/7 from 98 overs:

India are upping the ante and the things are going haywire for Afghanistan. There are fours, overthrows and what not. India moving closer to 450 and Pandya has brought up his fifty.

India 407/7 from 95 overs:

Pandya and Jadeja have taken India past 400-run mark, with the right-hander moving closer to a fifty. Jadeja, meanwhile, has started to open his shoulders as India search for quick runs.

India 373/7 from 86 overs:

WICKET! Under edge and taken! R Ashwin departs as Zazai takes a good low catch to give Yamin Ahmadzai his 3rd wicket. He could have had another one in the same over had Ravindra Jadeja was caught behind the stumps.

India 367/6 from 85 overs:

A few play and misses but India have Pandya and Ashwin have managed to stay put and deny Afghanistan an early breakthrough.

Making their Test debut, Afghanistan, on Thursday, managed to redeem themselves in the final session of Day 1 of the one-off Test, after Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay slammed hundreds. But it was India, with 347 runs on the board, who ended the opening day in an advantageous position.

Check out: Here’s how action unfolded on Day 1

The Asghar Stanikzai-led unit will want to cut short India’s ambitions to put up a big score on Day 2. However, India will bank on the likes of Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to come good and power India past 500 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Friday.

While a lot of eyes were on the Afghan side on Day 1, Dhawan handed a tough introduction to Rashid Khan and co as he became the first Indian to score a hundred on Day 1 of the Test before lunch. Although there was a last-session tumble on the rain-curtailed first Day, Dhawan’s powerhouse performance has offered India an edge before Vijay-KL Rahul show.

While the cricket fans will hope that the rain stays away, the teams involved will be eager to put themselves in the dominating position.