NEW DELHI: India registered their biggest victory in Test cricket on Monday, defeating Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs on the third day of the one-off Test in New Chandigarh. The win surpassed India's previous biggest Test victory margin of an innings and 272 runs against West Indies in Rajkot in 2018 and was set up by a dominant bowling performance that saw them take 15 Afghanistan wickets on the third day.
Biggest Innings Wins for India
- Inns & 300 runs vs AFG, Mullanpur, 2026*
- Inns & 272 runs vs WI, Rajkot, 2018
- Inns & 262 runs vs AFG, Bengaluru, 2018
- Inns & 239 runs vs BAN, Mirpur, 2007
- Inns & 239 runs vs SL, Nagpur, 2017
The only bigger innings win on Indian soil is by West Indies against India at Eden Gardens in 1958 (innings and 336 runs). The only other bigger innings win by an Asian team is by Pakistan against New Zealand in Lahore in 2002 (innings and 324 runs).
India bowled Afghanistan out for 152 in their first innings and then wrapped up the second innings with ease after enforcing the follow-on. While debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar led the way with a six-wicket haul in the first innings, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav shared seven wickets in the second innings.
Afghanistan resumed the day at 113 for 5 but could not recover. Prasidh Krishna removed Azmatullah Omarzai early before Suthar ran through the lower order to finish with figures of 6 for 33 in 22 overs. The 23-year-old Rajasthan spinner dismissed Sharafuddin Ashraf for 11, ended Rahmat Shah's resistance after the batter scored 60 off 135 balls, and completed a five-wicket haul on Test debut. He later trapped Mohammad Saleem Safi leg-before and took the wicket of Ziaur Rahman Sharifi to end the innings. Suthar's figures are the second-best by an Indian bowler on Test debut, behind Narendra Hirwani's 8 for 61 against the West Indies in Chennai in 1988. He also became the 10th Indian bowler and the seventh Indian spinner to take a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test appearance.
With Afghanistan asked to bat again, India quickly tightened their grip on the match. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav shared seven wickets between them, as Afghanistan's batting struggled once more. India eventually completed an innings-and-300-run victory, the biggest win in the country's Test history.
