LIVE

India vs Afg Test Updates: Rahul, Gill guide India to 209/2 at tea

Sat, 06 June 2026

Refresh

14:14

Rahul, Gill guide India to 209/2 at tea

K L Rahul

India 209-2 (50 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

K L Rahul and Sudharsan stroked half-centuries as India dominated the post-lunch session on Day 1 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.

Electing to bat, India were well-placed on 209/2 in 50 overs, having scored 113 runs in 25 overs in the second session.

Rahul was unbeaten on a solid 81 from 137 balls, while Gill made a bright start to be 20 not out at the break.

Sudharsan was the only wicket to fall in the second session, caught behind off pacer Saleem for 81. He added 139 runs for the second wicket with Rahul to put India on course for a huge first innings total.

Saleem, with figures of 2/50 in 10 overs, was the only wicket-taker for Afghanistan, as their other bowlers toiled in hot conditions in Chandigarh.

14:09

Rahul, Gill guide India past 200

India 208-2 (49 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Rahul guides Saleem to thirdman for a single before Gill plays a cracking on-drive flicking the pacer to the right of mid-on for a four.

Saleem tries the bouncer but Gill is happy to sway out of the way.

Left-arm spinner Kharote, who was expensive in his earlier spell, comes back with two right-handers in the middle.

He starts with two full balls which Rahul defends before he pulls the third ball which is short and down the leg side for an easy four to bring up India's 200 in the 48th over.

Another full delivery down the leg side but Rahul misses the sweep before he blocks the last ball.

Gill has made a bright start. Saleem goes full and on the pads as Gill easily flicks it through square leg for a boundary.

The last ball is a half-tracker and this time Gill pulls it handsomely through square leg for another four to race to 20.

13:55

Sudharsan out for 81; India 2 down

Saleem Safi dismissed Sai Sudharsan in the post-lunch session.

India 191-2 (46 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Shahidi looking to hold one end up as he sends down another tidy over, giving away just two singles in his seventh over.

Pacer Saleem has impressed with his pace, touching 140kph regularly in the post-lunch session despite the hot conditions in Mullanpur.

Rahul and Gill pick a single each to Saleem's eighth over.

In the next over, Gill gets going as he plays a wonderful cover drive off a full delivery from his opposite number Shahidi for a four.

However, two balls later he is beaten by some sharp turn and struck on the pads.

Afghanistan take the review as the impact looked in front. But the ball tracker shows that the ball is turning sharply to miss the leg stump as the visitors lose their second review.

13:47

Sudharsan out for 81; India 2 down

India 181-2 (43 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Against the run of play, Afghanistan strike with the wicket of Sudharsan, who is caught behind off Saleem.

The left-hander goes for the big cover drive off the pacer but gets the edge and wicketkeeper Zazai takes a superb diving catch.

Sudarshan misses out on a deserved century as he walks back after a fluent knock of 81 from 104 balls, with 13 fours.

He put India on course for a huge total as he added 139 for the second wicket with Rahul.

Saleem gets the breakthrough once again, he has taken both wickets to fall today.

Shubman Gill walks out at No 4 as he gets off the mark with a single.

13:35

Rahul, Sudharsan pile on the runs

India 177-1 (42 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Pacer Saleem comes back for a new spell as Afghanistan continue with seam from one end.

Afghanistan take the review after Rahul was struck on the pads by the incoming delivery which swings in sharply to beat the bat. However, there is a clear inside edge as Rahul survives and Afghanistan lose their review.

The two batters continue to cruise in the middle session, picking up regular singles and the odd boundary in between.

Rahul and Sudharsan looking for a run every ball against spinner Shahidi as they pick runs off his sixth over.

13:26

Rahul, Sudharsan hit 50s; India on top

India 169-1 (40 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Shahidi continues as Sudharsan hits the first ball through the covers for one and Rahul takes one down to long-on.

Sudharsan uses the sweep to good effect, hitting the spinner square on the leg side for a four and takes one off the last ball.

The two batters have scored freely after lunch with 66 runs in 13 overs in the post lunch session for a scoring rate of above five.

Pace bowler Ziaur toiling hard in hot conditions on a flat pitch. A single each to the two batters before Sudharsan flicks the full delivery past midwicket for a four.

Shahidi bowling a test line to Sudharsan, who is being very watchful, playing the ball right under his eyes.

Sudharsan has been unsure of his footwork against spin, at times playing back to full deliveries.

Lead spinner Kharote has gone for runs but Shahidi has done well by giving away just 14 runs in five overs.

13:16

Rahul, Sudharsan hit 50s; India on top

Sai Sudharsan

India 155-1 (37 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Sudharsan plays a wonderful cover drive off an overpitched delivery from Ziaur for a boundary.

The pacer nearly gets revenge next ball as Sudharsan pushing forward gets the edge which flies between wicketkeeper and the first slip fielder for a four as India bring up their 150.

On a good batting wicket, Bangladesh haven't taken their chances on the field.

Sudharsan has been dropped twice, having earlier been put down off the bowling of Kharote when his score was on 20, in the 19th over. Rahul had got a thin edge off Ziaur but Bangladesh failed to take the review.

A quiet over from Shahidi as he gives away three singles in his third over.

Sudharsan, on 65 from 83 balls, has been quite fluent as he goes past Rahul, who has been solid on 63 from 108 balls.

13:16

Rahul, Sudharsan hit 50s; India on top

Sai Sudharsan

India 155-1 (37 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Sudharsan plays a wonderful cover drive off an overpitched delivery from Ziaur for a boundary.

The pacer nearly gets revenge next ball as Sudharsan pushing forward gets the edge which flies between wicketkeeper and the first slip fielder for a four as India bring up their 150.

On a good batting wicket, Bangladesh haven't taken their chances on the field.

A quiet over from Shahidi as he gives away three singles in his third over.

Sudharsan, on 65 from 83 balls, has been quite fluent as he goes past Rahul, who has been solid on 63 from 108 balls.

12:55

Rahul, Sudharsan hit 50s; India on top

K L Rahul

India 141-1 (34 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

India have managed to score at a good rate, with their run rate above the four run per over mark.

Pacer Ziaur Rahman back into the attack. Rahul cuts the short wide ball as the fielder at deep point puts in the dive to save the boundary and keep it down to two.

However, he gets a four next ball, guiding the short wide ball with a deft late cut past gully.

Captain Shahidi brings himself back into the attack to bowl off-spin. A single each to the two batters to raise the 100-run stand for the second wicket from 132 balls.

A beauty from Shahidi as he gets the flighted ball to turn away sharply, beating Sudharsan on the outside edge as he leaned forward to defend.

He comes forward to defend next ball as the ball turns and goes off the outside half towards gully.

12:45

Rahul, Sudharsan hit 50s; India on top

India 133-1 (32 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Afghanistan have bowled on the leg stump line to Sudharsan, who has been caught at leg slip a few times in his Test career.

Sudharsan clips Omarzai off his pads for one and Rahul guides the short ball from the pacer past point for two runs.

In the next over, Sudharsan sweeps Kharote for a thumping four through square leg.

The young left-hander plays a nice flick next ball in the gap at midwicket for another boundary to bring up his fifty from 67 balls, with eight fours.

Kharote continues to leak runs. He overpitches and gives width as Sudharsan gets forward to drive past mid-off for a hat-trick of fours.

Kharote has struggled with his control, with expensive figures of 44 runs from his first seven overs.

12:36

Rahul hits fifty; India on top

K L Rahul

India 118-1 (30 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Sudharsan looking to disrup Kharote with the sweep but this time he misses and is struck on the arm. The left-hander then clips the second ball fine on the leg side for two runs before taking one.

A single each to the two batters as they get five runs from Kharote's fifth over, who has gone for 30 runs in five overs.

Rahul and Sudharsan keep the scoreboard ticking as they both pick a single each off Omarzai, before the latter clips the last ball for two runs.

In the next over, Rahul is nearly done in by the turn and bounce from Kharote as he manages to push it on the off-side for one.

That single helps Rahul bring up his 21st half-century in Test cricket from 86 balls.

12:25

Rahul, Sudharsan take India past 100

India 107-1 (27 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Spinner Kharote starts off with the ball in the post lunch session. Rahul keeps out the first two balls before he skips down the track to drive the spinner straight down the ground for a four to bring up India's 100, in the 26th over.

Kharote shortens his length next ball but this is very wide as Rahul easily rocks back to cut it behind point for another boundary to make a confident start to the second session.

Pacer Azmatullah Omarzai from the other end. Sudharan gets it off the outside half trying to hit the pacer through the covers for a single.

Rahul punches Omarzai square through the off-side for two runs before he plays a good straight drive which the mid-off fielder stops with a dive.

11:34

Rahul, Sudharsan steer India to 96/1 at lunch

Sai Sudharsan

India 96-1 (25 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

A half-tracker from Malik as Sudharsan rocks back to pull it through midwicket for a four. He clips the third ball off his pads for one and Rahul takes a single to mid-on.

Off-spinner Hashmatullah Shahidi comes into the attack to bowl the final over of the morning session.

Rahul hits the second ball down to long-on for one and a watchful Sudharsan keeps out the last four balls to end the first session.

India are 96/1 in 25 overs at lunch on Day 1.

Rahul struggled with his timing in the first hour but has done well to score a dogged 32 from 70 balls. Sudharsan showed a lot of intent to score a fluent 32 from 49 balls.

Jaiswal was the only wicket to fall, caught down the leg side off Saleem for 24.

Afghanistan will rue not taking the review when Rahul had edged Ziaur with wicketkeeper Zazai indicating there was no edge.

11:26

Rahul, Sudharsan steady India

India 89-1 (23 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Kharote continues as Sudharsan defends the first two balls before he flicks the third ball through midwicket for a single.

Rahul takes the aerial route as he lofts the last ball over mid-on for a boundary.

Spinner Abdul Malik nearly bowls a maiden over only to denied by a no-ball because of overstepping.

Another quiet over from Kharote as Rahul takes one to long-off before Sudharsan picks a single to long-on. Rahul rocks back to steer the last ball past the slip fielder for a couple of runs.

11:14

Rahul, Sudharsan steady India

India 79-1 (20 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Spin introduced as Nangeyalia Kharoti comes into the attack to bowl the 19th over.

He makes a terrific start, getting the first ball to turn and bounce as Sudharsan playing from the crease is struck on the gloves.

The left-hander leaves the next two balls before Sudharsan coming forward to defend gets the edge as the ball turns away slightly. But luckily for Sudharsan, Gurbaz at first slip reacts late and is unable to hold on despite getting his fingers to it.

Sudharsan shows intent as he sweeps the last ball, a full toss, powerfully through square leg for a four.

Spin from both ends as off-spinner Abdul Malik comes into the attack from the other end.

Rahul flicks the first ball through midwicket for two runs. Malik gets the ball to turn sharply which also stops a bit as Rahul looking to flick pushes it uppishly but well short of midwicket.

India are 79/1 in 20 overs with Rahul on 28 and Sudharsan on 25.

11:06

Rahul, Sudharsan steady India

India 69-1 (18 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Rahul plays a beautiful straight drive offering the full face of the bat to drive a full delivery from Saleem down the ground for a four.

The next ball pitched back of length swings sharply into Rahul, who is struck on the pads. Afghanistan didn't appeal for LBW assuming an inside edge. But this was quite close as the ball would have gone on to hit the off-stump but the point of impact of ball hitting the pads was umpire's call.

Rahul making most of any loose balls, as this time he flicks Saleem through midwicket for a four as the pacer overpitches.

In the next over, Sudharsan punches Omarzai past the fielder at point for two runs before he plays a delightful flick square on the leg side for a four.

Sudharsan takes a single as he makes a bright start, racing to 15 from 16 balls.

After a great run with the bat in the IPL, Sudharsan looks to have carried his good form in this Test match.

Saleem's full delivery is driven down the ground past mid-on by Sudharsan for another wonderful boundary.

He plays another nicely-timed off a full delivery in the covers but can't beat the fielder and keeps strike with one from the last ball.

10:49

Jaiswal out for 24; India lose 1st wicket

India 46-1 (15 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Saleem continues as Jaiswal keeps out the first four balls before he square drives a full wide delivery past point for a four.

However, he falls off the very next delivery. The left-hander misses a glance off a short ball down the leg side but gets a fine edge and is caught behind by the wicketkeeper.

Jaiswal annoyed with himself at the manner of his dismissal as he walks back after scoring 24 from 32 balls.

Omarzai comes back into the attack as replaces Ziaur, who bowled a good first spell of six overs.

Omarzai sticks to a line just outside the off-stump as Rahul leaves before he ducks under a bouncer. He defends the last two balls to end a good over from Omarzai.

New batter Sai Sudharsan taps Saleem on the leg side before he pushes the next into the off-side and does the same third ball.

Saleem bowls a bouncer as Sudharsan easily ducks under the short ball to play out a maiden over from the pacer.

Rahul not looking totally convincing so far. This time he fails to execute the pull shot off Omarzai for a single through square leg.

Sudharsan keeps out the next four balls before he flicks a full delivery past mid-on for a four to get off the mark.

10:30

India off to a watchful start on Day 1

India 37-0 (11 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Rahul is beaten as he looks to cut Ziaur off a short wide ball. There is a confident appeal for caught behind from the close-in fielders but the umpire is unmoved.

That looks mighty close but Afghanistan decide against the review as wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai is not sure.

And Afghanistan's players especially Ziaur is not happy after seeing the replays as there is a clear spike on the UltraEdge when the ball passes the bat.

Afghanistan can't believe that they missed out a wicket by not taking the review.

10:23

India off to a watchful start on Day 1

India 37-0 (10 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Rahul gets one off the middle as he flicks the full delivery from Ziaur through midwicket for a four.

He slaps the next ball but can't beat point before the next ball goes towards mid-off followed by a leave.

Rahul growing in confidence as he gets on top of the bounce to punch Ziaur through the covers for a four.

First bowling change for Afghanistan as medium pacer Mohammed Saleem comes into the attack to bowl the 10th over.

Jaiswal clips the second ball off his pads for one before Rahul slaps the next past point for two runs.

Rahul mistimes the pull shot for one before Jaiswal smashes the short wide ball through point for a four.

India are 37 for no loss in 10 overs with Jaiswal looking good on 20 from 26 balls, while Rahul has made 16.

10:12

India off to a watchful start on Day 1

Yashasvi Jaiswal

India 21-0 (8 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

The two Afghanistan pacers seems to have found the right length, bowling it back of length and looking for some movement.

This time Jaiswal pushes away from the body as the outswinger from Omarzai takes the edge but it flies past the gully fielder for a four.

Afghanistan need to take any chances that come their way early on and make the new ball count.

Ziaur sticks to a good line outside the off-stump to Rahul, who is looking keen to avoid pushing at ones away from the body. He plays a nicely-timed drive off a full delivery as the point fielder fails to collect cleanly to give away a single.

At the other end, Rahul again indecisive outside the off-stump. He looks to punch Omarzai through the off-side but ends up inside edging the back of length ball back on to his pads.

Rahul struggling with his timing as he mishits the ball on the off-side before missing the flick to get a leg bye.

09:59

India off to a solid start vs Afghanistan

India 15-0 (5 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Omarzai beats Jaiswal on the outside edge as the left-hander plays away from the body attempting to drive through the off-side.

A few balls later, he punishes Omarzai for missing his length, driving an overpitched once again with a straight bat for his second four past mid-off.

Ziaur gets the ball to jag in sharply as the back of length delivery beats Rahul on the inside edge.

Rahul learns from his mistake as he leaves the next two balls before he has a close shave last ball. He plays a long way away from his crease, as he inside edges the short ball back on his pads.

09:47

India off to a solid start vs Afghanistan

India 11-0 (3 ovs) vs Afg | SCORECARD

Pace bowler Azmatullah Omarzai from the other end. The first ball is down the leg side as Rahul misses the glance before he leaves the next and does the same to the third ball.

Rahul gets forward to defend a full delivery and leaves the last two balls to end Omarzai's first over.

Ziaur from the other end. The pacer's line is too wide of the stumps as Jaiswal easily leaves the first two balls before he takes one on the leg side.

Rahul flicks the last ball, which is overpitched on the stumps, in the gap through midwicket for a four to get off the mark.

That boundary also takes Rahul past the landmark of 9000 runs in first class cricket.

09:38

India elect to bat vs Afghanistan; Suthar debuts

India 6-0 (1 ov) vs Afg | SCORECARD

K L Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the two openers for India, who will look to make most of winning the toss on a good batting track.

Pacer Ziaur Rahman opens the bowling for Afghanistan. The first ball is on the pads as Jaiswal clips it square for a couple of runs to get India off the mark.

The left-hander offers no stroke to the next two balls before he drives a full delivery with a straight bat past mid-off for a four and keeps out the last two balls.

09:13

India elect to bat vs Afghanistan; Suthar debuts

Manav Suthar

Both teams have left-arm spinners making their debut. Manav Suthar will play for the first time for India, while Nangeyalia Kharote has been picked for visitors Afghanistan.

Sai Sudharsan gets another opportunity to prove his worth in Test cricket as he is slotted at No 3, preferred ahead of Devdutt Padikkal.

Rishabh Pant plays his 50th Test match for India, who have gone in for three spinners in Suthar, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav.

Check out the playing XIs:

India: K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (w/k), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Afsar Zazai (w/k), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi.

09:04

India win toss; elect to bat vs Afghanistan

India captain Shubman Gill has won the toss and elected to bat against Afghanistan in the one-off Test in Mullanpur.

'We will bat first. It is hot and humid and the pitch will get slower and lower as the match goes on,' he says at the toss.

A special match for Gill as he leads India for the first time at his homeground.

'It is very special, I grew up not very far from here. It is a privilege to captain India at this ground,' he added.

Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar will make his debut for hosts India.

08:59

'A good pitch for batters'

Pitch Report:

The pitch looks beautiful, there could be some deterioration as the match goes on but it will be a good pitch for batters, says Michael Clarke in his pitch report from Mullanpur.

08:54

Manav Suthar To Make India Debut

Manav Suthar

A memorable day for Rajasthan's left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who will make his India debut, in the one-off Test against Afghanistan starting on Saturday.

He received his maiden India cap from team-mate and fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Suthar, with a more classical action and ability to make the ball hang in the air, looks to be the man for the future. He seems to possess the ability to challenge both outside and inside edge of the bat.

He was preferred ahead of Vidarbha all-rounder Harsh Dubey, who looks a more defensive bowler, mostly bowling straight lines. But he does come across a clean hitter, something that makes him a package like Jadeja for foreign conditions.

Suthar, the 23-year-old from Ganganagar in Rajasthan, has been knocking on the doors of the Test team for the last couple of years. A regular at India A level, Suthar has finally got the coveted opportunity, with Jadeja rested and Axar Patel sidelined.

Suthar has taken 129 wickets in 29 games including three 10-wicket match hauls and six five-wicket hauls.

08:38

New-Look India Eye Winning Start Vs Afghanistan

Welcome to the coverage of the one-off Test between India and Afghanistan at the New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, Mullanpur, on Saturday.

Battling demons of a horrendous home Test run in the not-so-distant past but nevertheless a formidable unit, India are pitted against a plucky Afghanistan in the only Test, that might help the hosts figure out a balanced combination.

In 2018, Afghanistan lost 10 wickets in a session between lunch and tea on the second day of the Test against India. The next 10 fell by the wayside between tea and end of day's play which also was end of the game.

However, the Indians would not have forgotten the 0-2 drubbing handed by a meticulously prepared South Africa last year and would do well to not take the opposition lightly despite the gulf in experience.

A stable No.3 and Ravindra Jadeja's potential successor in red ball cricket are the two pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill will like to fix during this game before the important two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in August.

Whether Sai Sudharsan is persisted with, or the stylish Devdutt Padikkal gets to add to his tally of two games, will also be a major decision for the Indian team management during this game.

There is not much to choose between the two youngsters and a good score against this Afghan bowling attack wouldn't be an indicator of how things will pan out against better teams.

Jadeja has been rested for this match but this is a fact that the Indian selectors and team management are trying to look at options to prepare themselves for life beyond the Rajkot all-rounder.

The reason for this search is his bowling form, which has deteriorated considerably and he hasn't been as incisive as the team management would have liked.

The choice is now between a classical slow left-arm orthodox bowler from Rajasthan named Manav Suthar and the more utility 'bits and pieces' Vidarbha cricketer Harsh Dubey.

Since Afghanistan's first ever Test against India in 2018 in Bengaluru, which the hosts won inside two days, it has played 11 more games till June 2026.

And India, in this same period, have played 67 Tests with Rishabh Pant alone being a part of 49 of them. Incidentally Pant hadn't yet made his Test debut when Afghanistan last played India.

From the 2018 squad, only KL Rahul is a part of this current Indian Test team while Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and batter Rahmat Shah were also the ones who played that game.

Afghanistan's entire batting line-up has a combined total of nine Test tons compared to the 39 that this new-look Indian team has logged.

India vs Afg Test Updates: Rahul, Gill guide India to 209/2 at tea

TOP STORIES