KL Rahul's century, backed by Sai Sudharsan's 81, put India in command against Afghanistan on Day 1
Test debuts for India's Manav Suthar and Afghanistan's Nangeyalia Kharote
Shreyas Iyer named T20I captain; Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earns maiden India call-up, Suryakumar Yadav omitted
Fresh off finishing as one of the top run-scorers in the recently concluded Indian Premier League, KL Rahul scored a century as India dominated Afghanistan on Day 1 of the one-off Test match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, on Saturday.
India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bat first, giving openers Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal a chance to build an early platform.
After a promising start, Jaiswal was caught behind off pacer Mohammad Saleem Safi for a 32-ball 24. An over prior, Rahul survived a massive scare when Afghanistan failed to read a faint edge off Ziaur Rahman to the wicketkeeper -- confirmed by subsequent replays.
Battling intense afternoon heat, the newly appointed vice-captain capitalised on his reprieve to notch up his 12th Test century, studded with 11 boundaries.
But soon after reaching the landmark, the right-handed batter hit straight to Rahmanullah Gurbaz at short extra cover off Ziaur Rahman. During his 165-ball knock, Rahul stitched a 139-run partnership for the second wicket with Sai Sudharsan, who hit 81 off 104 balls.
He now has 4,153 runs in 68 Test matches (119 innings).
Despite the soft dismissal, his immediate Test outing proved to be a masterclass in format transition.
The Delhi Capitals opener scored 593 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 174.41. His unbeaten 152 off just 67 balls against the Punjab Kings was the highest individual score of the season.
India Vs Afghanistan: Playing XIs
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad Saleem.
India handed a Test debut to left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, while Afghanistan awarded a maiden Test cap to 22-year-old left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote.
At the time of writing, India were 307/3 in 68.3 overs, with Shubman Gill unbeaten after bringing up his ninth Test fifty and steering the innings forward following KL's century.
Meanwhile, off the field, the BCCI has announced a major T20I leadership overhaul for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, and the Asian Games 2026.
Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the new T20I captain, while his predecessor Suryakumar Yadav was dropped entirely from the squad following a prolonged dip in form.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee also handed 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his maiden national call-up.
At 15 years and 71 days old, the explosive left-handed opener becomes the youngest-ever player to be selected for the senior Indian men's cricket team, eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar's record.
The Little master was 16 years and 205 days when he made his Test debut against Pakistan at Karachi on November 15, 1989.
