How did Day 1 of the Only Test go between India vs Afghanistan? — Review, Turning Points & more
After winning the toss and opting to bat first in the only Test against Afghanistan, India amassed 368/3 in 85 overs at Stumps at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday, June 6.
Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a flurry of boundaries before getting out to right-arm pacer Mohammad Saleem Safi in the 12th over for just 24 off 32 balls. Fellow opener KL Rahul got lucky after he edged a ball through to the wicketkeeper, but he started shaking the bat to indicate that the sound came from the vibration. The Afghanistan players fell for it and didn’t take the DRS. Rahul was batting on 16 at that point. He went on to stitch a 139-run stand off 184 balls with Sai Sudharsan.
The southpaw missed out on a century as he was dismissed by Safi for 81 off 104 balls. KL Rahul added a 67-run stand with skipper Shubman Gill and brought up his 12th Test century and 11th as an opener in the longest format. Rishabh Pant walked out to bat at No. 5. After taking a bit of time to settle down, Pant smashed Abdul Malik for three sixes in an over.
Shubman brought up his century in the 83rd over, as he took a single off Safi to get to the coveted milestone. Pant also brought up his half-century on the penultimate ball of the day. Shubman and Pant will continue their knocks from 103* and 50*, respectively.
Top batting performances of the match — Shubman Gill
While KL Rahul scored a solid century and Sudharsan and Pant notched up half-centuries, the best knock of the day came from Shubman’s willow. He looked the most fluent batter as his 103* came off just 143 balls. He hit 11 fours and one six, finishing the day with a strike rate of 72.03.
#ShubmanGill‘s on-drive is a delight to watch. 😍
The Indian skipper is oozing confidence and control in the middle. 🔥#INDvAFG | Only Test ➡️ DAY 1 | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/hURsU016bX pic.twitter.com/vuFkNNT0kU
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 6, 2026
Homeboy making his mark! A captain’s knock! 💪
6th Test ton for #ShubmanGill as skipper, 11th overall. 🎯#INDvAFG | Only Test ➡️ DAY 1 | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/hURsU016bX pic.twitter.com/g0BMPs7AX1
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 6, 2026
Dancing down the track & deposited into the stands! 🔥#ShubmanGill lofts one straight back the bowlers head to hit the first maximum of the game. 🙌#INDvAFG | Only Test ➡️ DAY 1 | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/hURsU016bX pic.twitter.com/fT8RiblNOp
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 6, 2026
Homeboy making his mark! A captain’s knock! 💪
6th Test ton for #ShubmanGill as skipper, 11th overall. 🎯#INDvAFG | Only Test ➡️ DAY 1 | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/hURsU016bX pic.twitter.com/g0BMPs7AX1
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 6, 2026
Best bowling spells — Mohammad Saleem Safi
All the Afghan bowlers had to toil hard against a very strong Indian batting lineup. However, Mohammad Saleem Safi managed to stand out. He bowled just 13 overs in the day but picked up two wickets, conceding 67 runs in hot and humid conditions.
Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved
The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium became the 31st Test venue in India. Meanwhile, KL Rahul is now the player with the fourth-most centuries as a Test opener for India. Rishabh Pant is playing his 50th Test match.
Into the stands… three times in one over! 🚀
Vintage Rishabh Pant on display 👊
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/Au50EfVM30#TeamIndia | #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @RishabhPant17 pic.twitter.com/rtJfeZLPdT
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 6, 2026
