Shubman Gill and KL Rahul produced centuries of contrasting styles as India dominated the opening day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, finishing on a commanding 368 for 3 and firmly taking control of the contest.While Rahul relied on patience, discipline and textbook defence to compile a 165-ball 100, captain Gill dazzled with his strokeplay and fluency, remaining unbeaten on 103 from 143 deliveries. The duo showcased different approaches but achieved the same result, wearing down an Afghanistan attack that struggled to contain India’s batting depth.Gill’s innings appeared effortless for long periods. The Indian skipper mixed elegance with authority, striking 11 fours and a straight six on his way to an 11th Test hundred in just his 41st match. His ability to find boundaries without taking unnecessary risks made the innings look almost like a practice session.India’s dominance was further underlined by Sai Sudharsan’s impressive 81 from 104 balls. The left-hander looked set for a maiden Test century after surviving two chances, one off left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote and another off pacer Ziaur Rahman. However, he fell short when Mohammad Saleem induced an edge behind the stumps.Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal departed for 24 after glancing a harmless delivery down the leg side, but Rahul and Sudharsan repaired the damage with a 139-run partnership. Rahul was given an early reprieve when Afghanistan failed to appeal for a faint edge, and he made the most of the opportunity, reaching his 12th Test hundred with 11 boundaries.Just one ball after reaching the landmark, Rahul’s innings ended when he drove uppishly to the cover fielder off Ziaur.The final session belonged to Gill and Rishabh Pant, whose unbeaten partnership of 121 runs left Afghanistan chasing shadows in the North Indian heat. Pant played with typical freedom, smashing three sixes in an unbeaten half-century from just 70 balls, while Gill continued to dictate terms with a mixture of classy drives and clever strike rotation.For Afghanistan, Saleem was the most successful bowler with figures of 2 for 67, while Ziaur Rahman impressed despite returning only one wicket. The bigger concern was the spin department. With their frontline spinners unavailable, the responsibility fell on Kharote and Abdul Malik, but neither could consistently trouble India’s batters.Kharote finished wicketless despite bowling 20 overs, conceding 95 runs, while Malik also failed to make a breakthrough. India did not launch an all-out assault, yet still accumulated runs at a healthy rate, striking 42 fours and four sixes across the day.With the pitch expected to offer increasing assistance to spin, India are likely to bat only briefly on the second morning before looking to unleash their slow bowlers on an Afghanistan side already under immense pressure.
