IND vs AFG Test: India seize control through Gill, Rahul centuries on opening day

India skipper Shubman Gill celebrates his century on Day One against Afghanistan in Mullanpur on Saturday; (right) KL Rahul en route his 100 on Saturday. Pics/PTI

In England last summer, Shubman Gill thrived under the responsibility of the captaincy of the Test side, unleashing four centuries on his way to 754 runs in five Tests. In his first Test in the city of his cricketing birth, the classy right-hander produced a delectable fifth hundred in his last nine outings, on Day One of the one-off Test against Afghanistan on Saturday.

KL Rahul, now Gill's deputy, has relished the role clarity that has stemmed from Rohit Sharma's retirement from the five-day game. Now firmly entrenched in the opener's slot, Rahul extended his purple patch with a fourth century in his last 10 Tests, putting Afghanistan to the sword.

Riding on the back of these twin tons and further half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan and the effervescent Rishabh Pant, India flexed their batting muscle as the visitors wilted in the searing heat, amassing an imposing 368-3. Afghanistan were game triers, but were punished for their largesse. Hashmatullah Shahidi chose not to review when Rahul, on 16, nicked Zia ur Rahman to the wicketkeeper and was ruled not out by umpire Sharfudduola, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz at slip dropped Sudharsan in debutant left-arm spinner Nangyal Kharoti's first over when the batter had scored 20.

Afghanistan drew first blood at the stroke of the first drinks break as Yashasvi Jaiswal was strangled down leg off impressive pacer Mohammad Saleem. That proved to be a false dawn as Sudharsan was like a river in spate, uncorking a flurry of pleasing on-drives, while Rahul gradually discovered his timing on a slow track where the bounce was also occasionally uneven.

Sudharsan, in desperate search of a big score, threw his hand away with a maiden century in sight after a stand of 139, but Rahul and Gill's tryst with three figures had a touch of inevitability to it.

After Rahul fell the ball after reaching his 12th century, Gill and Pant realised 121 with the promise of more to come, the left-hander treating the sparse crowd to three sixes in a single over from offie Abdul Malik.

Six
No. of Test centuries by Shubman Gill as captain

Brief scores
India 368-3 (S Gill 103', KL Rahul 100, S Sudharsan 81, R Pant 50'; M Safi 2-67) vs Afghanistan