Even before a ball was bowled, there was controversy brewing. The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan in New Chandigarh — India’s first international assignment since IPL 2026 — came with a curious catch. Despite the emphatic margin, the match carried no World Test Championship (WTC) points because Afghanistan is not a participating nation in the WTC 2025-27 cycle. This meant India couldn’t improve their sixth-place standing (PCT 48.15) despite a dominant display. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, however, wasn’t fazed. “We are still optimistic about playing the World Test Championship final,” he had said before the match.

Nevertheless, the men in blue played with a ferocity that belied the lack of championship implications. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Shubman Gill and his men compiled a mammoth 564/8 before declaring on the second day. Centuries from Gill (126) and KL Rahul (100), coupled with a gritty 81 from Sai Sudharsan and an unbeaten 52 from Washington Sundar, laid the platform.

The story, however, was Afghanistan’s horrors. Their top order crumbled twice, debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar ran through them with 6/33 in the first innings and finished with seven wickets in the match. When the game ended, India had secured their largest victory margin in Test history — an innings and 300 runs. But the narrative quickly moved beyond the scoreboard.

Forget the veterans. The hero of the match was a 22-year-old who had never played an international game before. Manav Suthar, the left-arm spinner from Rajasthan, walked onto the pitch at New Chandigarh as a relatively unknown entity. By the end of the third day, he was being hailed as the future of India’s spin attack.

But what makes Suthar’s performance truly special is the manner in which he bowled. He didn’t just rely on the pitch; he extracted turn, bowled a beautiful stump‑to‑stump line, and foxed the Afghan batters with flight and loop. Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra’s pre-match prediction — that Suthar would be the difference — turned out to be prophetic. Fans quickly hailed the youngster, with one Twitter user posting a clip of his six‑wicket haul with the caption, “Suthar is the spin successor India has been searching for.” Not bad for a boy who wasn’t even in the original squad.

Not everything was smooth sailing. A fired-up Mohammed Siraj, who had been surprisingly left out of India’s main bowling attack for the Test, finally got his chance in the second innings. He made his presence felt — not just with the ball, but with some heated words. In a clip that has since gone viral, Siraj is seen involved in a heated verbal confrontation with Afghanistan’s Rahmat Shah during the first innings.

Siraj, visibly frustrated by Shah’s defensive approach, charged in with a few choice words after beating the bat. Shah responded by pointing to the scoreboard — and the verbal spat escalated. Umpires had to step in to calm the players down. Fans on X were divided — some loved Siraj’s aggression, others called it unnecessary. The clip, however, became an instant hit, garnering millions of views within hours.

Rishabh Pant, who returned to Test cricket after his horrific car accident, proved that his spirit remains undimmed. During India’s first innings, as Afghanistan bowler Ziaur Sharifi was about to deliver the ball, a BCCI official was seen wandering near the sightscreen. Pant, visibly irritated, turned around and loudly told the official, “Stop roaming in the garden.” The mic picked up the dialogue, sending social media into a meltdown.

Fans instantly recalled Rohit Sharma’s old “Ye public hai, sab jaanti hai” phrase and turned the moment into a meme. One user posted, “Rishabh Pant brings Rohit Sharma’s energy into the garden.” But Pant’s day wasn’t just about one‑liners. He scored a gritty 81 off 89 deliveries, forming a crucial 169-run partnership with captain Shubman Gill (126) that stabilized India’s innings.

While the match was a one‑sided contest, the most heartwarming moments came off the field. With temperatures soaring in Mullanpur, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was spotted personally distributing cold drinks to fans struggling in the stands. The video of Gambhir walking to the boundary and handing beverages to heat‑affected spectators quickly went viral. “This is why we respect Gambhir,” wrote one fan. “From aggressive captain to caring coach — what a transformation.”

Not to be outdone, Afghanistan spinner Qais Ahmad also tossed water bottles to fans from the boundary rope, earning widespread praise for his gesture. Two teams, one sport, and one heatwave — yet both found time to think of those watching in the sun. These small but significant moments became the most shared clips of the match.