Why did IND vs AFG Test end after only nine wickets fell? Explained

India returned to international cricket with a dominating innings and 300 runs victory over Afghanistan in the one-off Test match played at The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Wednesday, June 8. 

The Men in Blue needed less than three days to secure the victory, with the spinners dominating the proceedings. Manav Suthar was the star of the show on his Test debut, taking seven wickets in the match, including a six-wicket haul in the first innings. 

Why did the IND vs AFG Test end only after nine wickets fell?

Towards the end of Day 3, India took Afghanistan’s ninth wicket, with Kuldeep Yadav getting the better of Mohammad Saleem, which was the last wicket of the game, with the hosts winning the tie without taking the final wicket. 

During Afghanistan’s second innings, the visitors had 10 players fit to take the field, with Sharafuddin Ashraf not coming out to bat. The 31-year-old did bat in the first innings, scoring 11 off 32 balls before he was dismissed by the debutant Suthar. Whilst batting on Day 3, the right-handed batter struggled with a groin injury, which was the reason why he did not come out to bat in Afghanistan’s second innings when the side was following on. Hence, the Men in Red only had nine wickets to play, which is why India needed 19 wickets to win the Test match instead of the usual 20. 

Shubman Gill’s side dominated with the bat in the first innings to post a mammoth 564, making sure that they only batted once in the game. The captain, along with KL Rahul, scored centuries with Rishabh Pant and Sai Sudharsan both contributing with 81 runs each. Washington Sundar also added crucial 52 runs towards the end of the innings, before bowlers took centre stage. 

Suthar ended up with figures of 6 for 33 in the first innings, bowling a total of 10 maiden overs. Prasidh Krishna, meanwhile, was India’s best seam bowler, with three scalps, which included the wicket of Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi. 

In the second innings, India’s two other spinners took over the wicket-taking duties, with Kuldeep Yadav taking three and Sundar ending up with four dismissals, respectively.