India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj played a key role in Afghanistan’s collapse on Day 3 of the one-off Test in Mullanpur on Monday, June 8.
Interestingly, Siraj’s biggest contribution did not come with the ball in hand.
The incident unfolded in the 53rd over of Afghanistan’s innings, with veteran Rahmat Shah batting alongside Sharafuddin Ashraf. Nursing a leg injury, Ashraf was struggling to move freely and was largely confined to defending deliveries on the stumps.
IND vs AFG Live Score: One-off Test, Day 3 Updates
Seeing Ashraf’s limitations, Rahmat too slipped into survival mode during the morning session, content to block deliveries and take the sting out of India’s attack. The approach did not sit well with Siraj.
Never one to shy away from a confrontation, Siraj walked up to Rahmat and questioned his intent, urging the batter to show more initiative instead of simply shutting up shop.
The frustration was evident a ball earlier. On the third delivery of the 52nd over, Siraj fielded one of Rahmat’s defensive shots and hurled the ball back at the stumps despite the batter remaining firmly inside his crease.
On the very next ball, Siraj exchanged words with Rahmat, challenging him to play his shots and move the game forward.
The confrontation appeared to change the complexion of the innings.
Two overs later, India finally found the breakthrough. Ashraf attempted to take on the bowling and paid the price, edging a big shot through to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who completed a sharp catch behind the stumps.
Afghanistan’s resistance quickly unravelled after that dismissal.
Having lost Ashraf at 142, the visitors surrendered three more wickets in the space of four overs and were eventually bowled out for 152.
Rahmat, Afghanistan’s lone half-centurion of the innings, was cleaned up by debutant spinner Manav Suthar, who finished with a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test appearance.
Whether intentional or not, Siraj’s intervention injected urgency into a stagnant contest and helped trigger the collapse that put India firmly in control of the match.
Leading by 412 runs after Afghanistan’s first innings, India followed-on the visiting side immediately, and then dismissed five of their batters by Tea for just 98 runs. Opener Sediqullah Atal, who was batting well in the second innings was the last one to fall before Tea was taken on Day 3.
– Ends
Published By:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published On:
Jun 8, 2026 14:29 IST
