India, June 7 -- Across two days of near-total dominance at the New Chandigarh Stadium in Mullanpur, where Afghanistan have been left reeling with both bat and ball, debutant Manav Suthar's classical left-arm spin has emerged as a beacon of hope for India's future. The 23-year-old picked up three wickets in the second half of Day 2 of the one-off Test to keep India firmly in the driver's seat.

After five overs of pace bowling allowed Afghanistan's openers to settle with 28 runs in 30 balls, captain Shubman Gill turned to Suthar. The move paid immediate dividends.

The left-armer got the ball to turn sharply in his very first over, prompting Abdul Malik to attempt an aggressive sweep. The batter could only manage a top edge behind the wic...