By Arjun 
Afghanistan fast bowler Mohammad Saleem delivered a remarkable individual performance on the second day of the one-off Test against India in New Chandigarh, earning widespread praise despite his team’s difficult position in the match. The right-arm pacer claimed six wickets in India’s first innings, showcasing skill, endurance, and determination on a surface that offered little assistance to fast bowlers.
India ended their innings at a commanding 564 for 8 before declaring, putting themselves firmly in control of the contest. While the Afghan bowlers generally found it difficult to contain the Indian batting line-up, Saleem stood out with figures of 6 for 140 in a demanding spell under intense heat.
Playing only his second Test match, Saleem consistently bowled at impressive speeds and maintained disciplined lines and lengths throughout the innings. After removing Yashasvi Jaiswal and B Sai Sudharsan on the opening day, he returned strongly on day two to dismiss Indian captain Shubman Gill, who had compiled a brilliant century. Saleem’s persistence paid off again when he cleaned up Dhruv Jurel with a delivery that struck the top of off stump after the batter left the ball. He later added the wickets of Manav Suthar and Mohammed Siraj to complete an impressive six-wicket haul.
Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus hailed Saleem’s effort, describing it as a significant achievement against a strong Indian batting unit. He emphasized that maintaining a consistent length was the key to the bowler’s success and praised his ability to keep challenging the batters throughout long spells.
Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar also applauded Saleem’s performance. According to Sundar, the pitch offered very little help for seam bowlers, making Saleem’s achievement even more impressive. He highlighted the bowler’s ability to repeatedly hit the seam and extract whatever assistance was available from the surface.
Despite Saleem’s heroics, Afghanistan’s batting unit failed to respond strongly. By the close of play, they had slipped to 113 for 5 and still faced a massive deficit of 451 runs. With the match heavily tilted in India’s favor, Saleem’s outstanding bowling remained the biggest positive for the visitors.