India Have tightened their grip on the one-off Test against afghanistan With a brilliant batting performance on the opening day at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. After laying a solid platform Sai Sudarshan And KL Rahul And impressive contributions from the top order, Rishabh Pant The fireworks that were set off late into the night brought the crowd to a standstill.
The left-handed batsman came to the crease when India were already in a strong position, but his aggressive intent ensured that the hosts finished the day even stronger. Pant’s fearless strokeplay injected new energy into the innings and forced Afghanistan’s bowlers to search for answers.
Rishabh Pant hit three sixes in a single over
Pant initially adopted a cautious attitude after coming to the crease. The wicketkeeper-batsman could only score seven runs from his first 21 balls and looked content as he assessed the conditions. However, everything changed during the 68th over bowled by the spinner Abdul Malik. Pant stormed the track and hit a powerful six over the bowler’s head on the very first ball. The aggressive strokes immediately put pressure on Malik, who struggled to gain control over the over.
A few balls later, Pant once again used his feet brilliantly and converted a full toss into another skyscraper six down the leg side. Sensing the bowler’s trouble, the Indian star continued his attack. Malik then left one short and Pant returned before sending it deep into the stands over mid-wicket for his third six of the over. To make matters worse for Afghanistan, Malik also overstepped twice during the over, including on one occasion when a vigorous caught-back appeal against Pant became irrelevant after the no-ball siren had sounded.
Here is the video:
In the stands… three times in one over! 🚀
Vintage Rishabh Pant on display 👊
Update ▶️ https://t.co/Au50EfVM30#TeamIndia | #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBANK | @rishabhpant17 pic.twitter.com/rtJfeZLPdT
– BCCI (@BCCI) 6 June 2026
Also read: Fans applaud KL Rahul’s century against Afghanistan on the first day of the one-off Test
India’s dominance on the first day against Afghanistan
Earlier in the day, Rahul opened the innings with a composed century, registering his 12th Test century. The opener scored exactly 100 runs before being dismissed soon after reaching the milestone. His innings included important partnerships Yashasvi Jaiswalsudarshan and captain Shubman GillPutting India in a commanding position.
Sudarshan missed out on his maiden Test century after being out on 81, while Gill played a good innings of 103 runs in 143 balls and completed his century with the help of 11 fours and a six. Pant completed his 19th Test half-century and remained unbeaten till stumps. At the end of the first day, India were firmly in control at 368/3, with Pant and the lower middle order continuing the attack when play resumed on the second day.
