New Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], June 8 (ANI): Following his side’s massive win over Afghanistan in the one-off Test, Indian skipper Shubman Gill expressed happiness with the win and said that the focus is on posting 350-400 run totals on the board consistently.
Skipper Gill and KL Rahul’s century and sensational performances from spinners Manav Suthar and Washington Sundar helped Team India secure their biggest win in Tests, defeating Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs at New Chandigarh.
Speaking after the match in the post-match presentation, Gill termed the win as a “complete” one, saying, “Very happy with that (win). (Thought process to enforce the follow-on?) It was very hot. We decided that if we get them before lunch or just after the first drinks, we will see if the bowlers are fresh, and we will give them a follow-on. If not, we’ll bat a couple of sessions, and maybe at the end of the day, we’ll give them the ball again. But we got quick wickets, we came back. And also the way our fast bowlers bowled, Siraj got us that crucial wicket when we gave them a follow-on, and Prasidh got three important wickets.”
On the spin trio of Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and debutant Manav Suthar, who took a six-wicket haul in the first innings, he said, “The kind of quality, I think, Manav, Washi and Kuldeep have, all three of them, there was never any doubt. It is all about getting the experience and getting a number of overs and seeing, on wickets like these, how to set the batsman up, keep varying the pace, keep testing the batsman in different areas.”
Gill said that with the team in transition under him as a captain, the mantra is to put up 350 or more on the board on batting first, no matter what.
“I think there’s enough trust in our bowling group that we can take 20 wickets anywhere. Whenever there is a transition, we feel the batting group is under more pressure, and we are trying to get experience. We are trying to build here to see what kind of game can work for us as a batting group, and in different conditions and different situations. How can we keep posting regularly, 350-400 totals on the board,” he signed off.
After centuries from Rahul (100 in 165 balls, with 11 fours) and Gill (126 in 177 balls, with 15 fours and a six) guided Team India to a formidable total of 564/8 declared in the first innings, exceptional bowling performances from spin all-rounders Suthar (6/33) and Washington Sundar (4/36) sealed India’s biggest-ever win in Test cricket by an innings margin, bundling Afghans for 152 and 112 in their innings. However, as the match was not part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, it will not impact India’s position in the WTC standings, where they are currently placed sixth. (ANI)
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