Ind vs Afg: KL Rahul unbeaten at 37; India 96/1 at lunch

[[{“value”:”

India scored 96 runs for the loss of 1 wicket at lunch on day 1 against Afghanistan. The two teams are facing off for a one-off test in New Chandigarh.

Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul started off well, stitching a 41-run partnership for the first week. Jaiswal was eventually dismissed, caught behind as he tried to run a ball down to fine leg. Jaiswal scored 24 runs, including five boundaries.

Sai Sudarshan and KL Rahul continued India`s dominance and ensured India went into lunch with the loss of just one wicket. Sudarshan remained unbeaten at 32 runs while KL Rahul scored 37.

Earlier, after winning the toss, Shubman Gill said he would like to bat first. The skipper confirmed a debut for spinner Manav Suthar.

“We`re going to bat first. Very hot and humid here, so I think as the time goes by, the wicket is going to get slower and it`s going to get low. Looks like a good surface. I think a little bit drier, obviously because of the heat. It`s been very hot for the past few weeks here and I think it`s going to stay the same. (How does it feel to be captaining on home turf for the first time?) Very special. Obviously I grew up not far from here. Grew up playing here and always wanted to play in my hometown. So I think it`s a great privilege and honour to be able to captain my country for the first time here at my home ground. (On the switch from T20s to Test cricket) The preparation`s been pretty good. Honestly, the only thing that`s been a little tricky is the switch from sleeping late at nights to waking up at the time actually that we were sleeping at. But got a good couple of days of sleep and I think everyone`s pretty fresh and ready to go. We`ve got Manav Suthar making his debut for the first time.” Shubman Gill said.

Confirmed playing XI for both teams:

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

India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

“}]]