NEW DELHI: A heartwarming moment involving India captain Shubman Gill has gone viral following India’s dominant victory over Afghanistan in the one-off Test at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur. In a video that has been widely shared on social media, a young ball boy stationed near the boundary ropes was seen touching Gill’s feet as the India skipper walked back to the pavilion after scoring a superb century.Gill, who led from the front with a brilliant 126, acknowledged the youngster’s gesture before continuing towards the dressing room. The touching interaction quickly became one of the standout moments of the match.Manav Suthar steals the show on debutWhile Gill’s century and the viral video grabbed attention, the match ultimately belonged to debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who enjoyed a dream start to his Test career.The Rajasthan spinner claimed seven wickets in the match, including a sensational 6/33 in Afghanistan’s first innings, as India completed their biggest-ever victory in Test cricket by an innings and 300 runs.After electing to bat, India posted a massive 564/8 declared. Alongside Gill’s 126, KL Rahul scored 100, while Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant contributed 81 each. Washington Sundar added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 52.Afghanistan unable to recoverAfghanistan resumed Day 3 on 113/5 and were eventually bowled out for 152 despite a fighting 60 from Rahmat Shah. Suthar ripped through the lower order to register the second-best bowling figures by an Indian on Test debut.Asked to follow on, Afghanistan showed some resistance through Abdul Malik and Sediqullah Atal, who added 42 runs for the opening wicket. Atal looked comfortable during his knock of 42, but India’s bowlers gradually tightened their grip on the contest.Mohammed Siraj provided the breakthrough before Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav joined the wicket-taking spree. Afghanistan slipped from 74/1 to 98/5 as Sundar removed Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Atal.India complete historic winThe visitors never recovered from the collapse. Suthar added another wicket, Sundar finished with four wickets in the innings, and Kuldeep cleaned up the tail as Afghanistan were bowled out for 112.The emphatic victory gave India their largest-ever win in Test cricket in terms of innings and runs.While the hosts dominated with both bat and ball, it was a simple gesture from a young ball boy towards Gill that captured fans’ imagination and became one of the most talked-about moments from an unforgettable Test match.
