Outclassed Afghanistan 98-5 as India close in on innings win
India left an outclassed Afghanistan reeling at 98-5 to close in on a thumping innings victory after debutant spinner Manav Suthar claimed six wickets in the one-off Test on Monday.
After forcing the visitors to follow on, Indian spinner Washington Sundar took his third wicket to dismiss Sediqullah Atal for 42 at the stroke of tea on day three in New Chandigarh.
Afghanistan trail by 314 runs in a one-sided match and a big India win is now just a matter of time in front of a sparse crowd at India's newest Test venue.
The Afghan openers started steadily before fast bowler Mohammed Siraj sent back Abdul Malik for eight.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav then broke through Rahmanullah Gurbaz's resistance on 24 and Sundar dismissed Rahmat Shah for 13.
Sundar struck again to remove skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi for five.
In the morning session, Afghanistan were bowled out for 152 in response to India's first-innings 564-8 declared with Suthar returning figures of 6-33.
Afghanistan put up a semblance of fight through Rahmat's 60 before their first innings folded in 58.4 overs.
Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna struck first in the morning as he bowled Azmatullah Omarzai for a duck after the batsman inside-edged the ball on to his stumps.
Rahmat then put on a stubborn stand of 24 with Sharafuddin Ashraf, who made 11, to frustrate the Indian bowlers in the first hour of play.
Rahmat raised his sixth Test half-century with a four.
Suthar, 23, a left-arm spinner who impressed on Sunday with three wickets, broke the stand after he had Ashraf trapped lbw.
Suthar then bowled Rahmat for his five-wicket haul, and three balls later he trapped Mohammad Saleem lbw for a duck.
He is only the fifth Indian and first since veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in 2011 to take a six-wicket haul on Test debut.
喬-H.Qiáo--THT-士蔑報
