Suthar and the spinners dominate as India routs Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs

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NEW CHANDIGARH, India (AP) — Debutant spinner Manav Suthar took seven wickets as India beat Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs Monday on day three of the one-off test.

Suthar claimed 6-33 in the first innings to help give India a mammoth 412-run lead and took 1-29 in the second to finish with 7-62.

After India enforced the follow-on, Washington Sundar took 4-36 while Kuldeep Yadav picked 3-30 as Afghanistan was bowled out for 112 runs in 35.5 overs.

India had scored 564-8 in the first innings, while Afghanistan was out for 152 earlier on day three. It was India’s biggest win in tests, by innings. Only West Indies has scored a bigger win on Indian soil — it beat India by an innings and 336 runs at Kolkata in 1958.

Afghanistan had resumed Monday at 113-5 in its first innings and lost Azmatullah Omarzai — bowled by Prasidh Krishna (3-37) — in the fifth over. Suthar then picked up two wickets in two overs, having Sharafuddin Ashraf (11) caught behind and bowling Rahmat Shah around his legs, completing his maiden five-wicket haul.

Suthar’s 6-33 was the second-best figures for India on test debut, after Narendra Hirwani’s 8-61 against West Indies in 1988. He also became just the second Indian spinner to take a five-wicket haul in his maiden test innings after Amit Mishra’s 5-71 against Australia in 2008.

Shah was Afghanistan’s leading scorer with 60 off 135 balls, including nine fours and a six. It was the first test half-century for an Afghan batter against India.

Afghanistan’s innings was wrapped up before lunch, with its last five wickets falling for 39.

The visitors didn’t fare any better in the second innings. The openers started well – Sediqullah Atal scored 42 off 80 and put on 42 for the first wicket, before Mohammed Siraj trapped Abdil Malik (8) lbw.

Atal and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (24) added 32 before Afghanistan collapsed from 74-1 to 112 all out in 15.5 overs on either side of tea.

Yadav-Sundar ran through, sharing seven wickets, with both set batters departing before the tea break.

The lower order didn’t resist at all. Rahmat Shah scored 13, with none of the other batters reaching double digits.

It is only the second test between the teams. India hosted Afghanistan’s inaugural test in Bengaluru and the home side won by an innings and 262 runs.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket