Following India's dominant victory over Afghanistan in the one-off Test, captain Shubman Gill expressed his delight and stressed the team's focus on consistently posting totals of 350 to 400 runs on the board.
India's Biggest Test Win
Gill's century, along with KL Rahul's ton and exceptional spin bowling from Manav Suthar and Washington Sundar, propelled India to their largest Test victory by an innings margin, defeating Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs at New Chandigarh.
Captain's Reaction
Speaking after the match, Gill termed the win as a complete performance. He explained the decision to enforce the follow-on, stating that the heat was a factor and that the team planned to assess the bowlers' freshness. The quick wickets from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were crucial.
Regarding the spin trio of Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and debutant Manav Suthar, who took a six-wicket haul in the first innings, Gill said, 'The kind of quality, I think, Manav, Washi and Kuldeep have, all three of them, there was never any doubt. It is all about getting the experience and a number of overs and seeing, on wickets like these, how to set the batsman up, keep varying the pace, keep testing the batsman in different areas.'
Building a Batting Culture
Gill emphasized that during this transition phase under his captaincy, the batting group is under more pressure. He said, 'I think there's enough trust in our bowling group that we can take 20 wickets anywhere. Whenever there is a transition, we feel the batting group is under more pressure, and we are trying to get experience. We are trying to build here to see what kind of game can work for us as a batting group, and in different conditions and different situations. How can we keep posting regularly, 350-400 totals on the board.'
Match Summary
After centuries from Rahul (100 off 165 balls, 11 fours) and Gill (126 off 177 balls, 15 fours, one six), India declared at 564 for 8. In reply, Afghanistan were bowled out for 152 and 112, with Suthar taking 6 for 33 and Sundar 4 for 36. However, since the match was not part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle, it will not affect India's position in the WTC standings, where they currently sit sixth.
