India pacer Prasidh Krishna kind of bowled one of those best deliveries from the Afghanistan innings, to get rid of opener Sediqullah Atal, during the one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. And yeah it was basically a big moment, because Afghanistan were already feeling the heat after they conceded this massive first-innings lead, so India really needed wicket after wicket to lock the game down fast.
Prasidh delivered, and it was a proper sharp ball , the kind that leaves the batter thinking “what just happened” after, Atal had no real answer. The dismissal came in the ninth over of Afghanistan’s second innings. Prasidh bowled from around the wicket, pitched it on a good length and coaxed sharp movement back into the batter. Atal went forward to block, expecting it would just sit there and hold its line, but the ball jagged in sharply ,and in that instant everything slipped.
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He got a small inside edge, but even that wasn’t enough. The ball kept moving, then it struck the stumps hard, and the bails flew. The Indian players celebrated right away , because Prasidh had taken a really deserved wicket.
Now Atal had looked quite at ease for that short bit he was there. He made 17 off 27 balls and smashed three boundaries. He showed some steadiness and good judgment even with the new ball, still Prasidh’s brilliant delivery finally ended his innings.
This wicket was also kind of special for Prasidh, since it was his first Test wicket on Indian soil. Even more, it gave India that early opening, and pushed Afghanistan further back on the back foot, no delay.
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Prasidh Leads India’s Strong Bowling Effort
Prasidh didn’t stop there, he kept making life awkward for Afghanistan batters with pace and movement. With help from the spin bowling unit, India stayed in full command of the contest.
His getting of Atal was basically a reminder that when Prasidh hits the right length, he becomes dangerous, late movement meant the batter had little time to shape up, and adjust. It was the sort of delivery that would’ve bothered anyone, seriously.
Later on in the innings, Hashmatullah Shahidi also fell to Prasidh. That gave the fast bowler his second wicket, and it only strengthened India’s position even further.
Afghanistan Struggle as India Stay in Command
At stumps on Day 2, Afghanistan were 113 for 5 in their second innings, and they were still trailing India by 451 runs.
Rahmat Shah was unbeaten on 43, basically the lone batter trying to resist. Earlier, Abdul Malik made 16 before Manav Suthar dismissed him. Sediqullah Atal made 17 before Prasidh Krishna had him. Rahmanullah Gurbaz managed 12, while captain Hashmatullah Shahidi scored 20. Afsar Zazai added just 3 before becoming Suthar’s third wicket.
Among the bowlers, Manav Suthar was the standout, finishing with 3 for 21 from 15.5 overs. Prasidh Krishna took 2 for 27, while Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar kept things very tight from the other end.
With five wickets already down, and a huge deficit still staring at them, India wrapped up the day with firm control of the Test match.
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