Shubman Gill reacts after India’s biggest Test win:Chopra’s prediction for Manav Suthar turns right after debutant wins ‘POTM’ award

India defeated Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the one-off Test match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh on 8 June. This was India’s biggest Test victory, winning by an innings and 300 runs. As India registered a dominant win over Afghanistan, reactions started pouring in on social media. Captain Shubman Gill, who has developed a strong Instagram game in the past few months, kept it simple this time. Meanwhile, cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra’s prediction of Manav Suthar winning Player of the Match on debut turned out to be right. Shubman Gill cherishes feeling of playing Tests India captain Shubman Gill cherished the feeling of turning up in whites once again. This was India’s first Test match in six months, their last assignment being a 0-2 whitewash at the hands of South Africa at home. And India did bring joy to their fans with a dominant performance against Afghanistan. Taking to Instagram, Gill shared an Instagram post featuring pictures from the match and he wrote, “Nothing like going out there in whites.” KL Rahul also shared some pictures of this match in his Instagram post, writing, ‘A week in whites’. The right-hander once again showed why he was such a crucial member of the Indian Test team as he scored a century in the first innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal also made a similar post on Instagram which had a picture with him celebrating with Suthar. Aakash Chopra’s prediction for Manav Suthar turns accurate The former cricketer, a day ago, had put out a post on X stating that the debuting Suthar would be named Player of the Match while lauding his show on debut. Suthar picked up a wicket in his first over on Test debut and scalped three on Day 2, prompting Chopra to praise him online. “Suthar to pick the POTM in the first Test Match. What an incredible addition to India’s Test team,” a part of his tweet read. The Rajasthan spinner went on to pick up a six-wicket haul in the first innings and a wicket in the second, taking his match tally to seven and was named Player of the Match. Chopra then quoted his old tweet and wrote, “This aged well.’ ‘Time to stop calling this team transitioning’ Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, part of the commentary panel for the India vs Afghanistan one-off Test, said that it was time to stop calling this Indian Test team a ‘transitioning.’ The Indian Test team underwent major changes last year after both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from the longest format and Gill was made the captain. Ashwin also retired from Tests in late 2024. “I think it’s time to move away from constantly describing this team as being in transition and instead focus on the standards expected in Test cricket. Every team goes through retirements, changes in personnel, and periods of evolution, but ultimately, the emphasis has to remain on performance,” he said, while speaking after the match. Calling for India’s batters to show a disciplined approach in Test cricket, Gavaskar added, “Looking back at some of India’s recent Test results, the bigger concern has been the batting rather than the bowling. The bowling attack has generally done its job, but the batters need to show greater discipline and stronger technique, especially in challenging situations,” he added. Gavaskar lauded Suthar for his dream Test debut but called for the youngster to improve and develop variations. “History has shown that several bowlers have enjoyed exceptional debuts, but sustaining success at the Test level requires continuous improvement and adaptation. The conditions in this match offered assistance to spin, and Suthar made excellent use of it with his disciplined line and length. The next challenge will be performing on surfaces that offer less help.” Meanwhile, Washington Sundar said that Team India are focused on the challenges that lie ahead. “We are fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead, particularly with a demanding tour of Sri Lanka coming up, followed by other important assignments. As a group, we understand what will be required from us to succeed in those conditions and continue performing consistently across formats,” he said after the match.