New Delhi, June 7: Despite India’s dominance in the lone Test match against Afghanistan, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has commended the fighting spirit of the Afghan players.
Starting the day at 368/3, Team India aimed to build a larger score. However, Afghanistan’s fast bowlers made a comeback during the morning session, limiting India’s score to 475/6 by lunch, slowing down the host team’s momentum. India declared their first innings at 564/8, but the visiting team made a remarkable comeback with the second new ball on the second day.
Gavaskar praised Afghanistan’s determination and their effective use of the second new ball in an interview with ‘Jio Hotstar’. He stated, “You might find yourself in a situation starting at 368/3 and feel a bit disheartened as a bowling team, but the Afghan players showed great courage, knowing that the second new ball was available, and they utilized it very well.”
According to the former captain, Afghanistan missed a crucial opportunity by not fully utilizing the Decision Review System (DRS) during this session. He added, “Perhaps if they had been better with their reviews, they could have achieved a better result, as the two reviews they lost were in the same over. If they had taken those wickets when the ball was new, they might have claimed a few more, and the score could have been around 450/8 instead of 475/6.”
Both Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant capitalized on opportunities during their innings without using reviews, as wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai could not convince captain Hashmatullah Shahidi to challenge the on-field decisions.
Mohammad Salim Safi led Afghanistan’s bowling attack, taking out Gill and Dhruv Jurel in an impactful spell with the new ball, while Shahidi claimed the vital wicket of Pant. Despite India declaring at 564/8, Gavaskar emphasized that the Afghan team’s performance deserves recognition. He remarked, “Still, the way the Afghan players went about their work was truly commendable.”
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