LIVE| IND vs AFG Only Test, Day 1: Rain plays spoilsports, covers brought on

Bengaluru: Rain played spoilsport during the second session on Day one of the one-offf India-Afghanistan Test as the hosts recovered after losing centurion Shikhar Dhawan.

The covers were brought on, and the players walked back to the dressing rooms.

India 172-1 from 29.2 overs

FIFTY! Murali Vijay gets to his 16th Test fifty as India look to recover after Dhawan's dismissal.

India 168-3 from 28.4 overs

WICKET! Yamin Ahmadzai removes Shikhar Dhawan for 107 as Mohammad Nabi takes a stunning catch at first slip to give the visitors their first-ever Test wicket. 

Lunch break summary

Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay got a dominant India off to a strong start in the historic one-off Test against Afghanistan here on Thursday, as the hosts headed for lunch at 158-0 on day one.

Undoubtedly, the first session belonged to the hosts, with the Afghans’ Test cricket debut starting with a nightmare.

Dhawan, as a result, got to his seventh Test century. He not only reached that milestone, but also became the sixth batsman overall to score a ton before lunch on day one of a Test match, also becoming the first Indian to do so.

Neither Rashid Khan nor Mujeeb Ur Rehman could trouble the batsmen. However, Rashid Khan had a perfect chance to dismiss the dangerous Dhawan in the 20^th over, when the Afghans went for a review in an appeal for LBW. However, the ball just missed the stumps despite pitching in the line, giving a lifeline for the Delhi batsman.

The debutants will hope for a turnaround in the second session, and will hope to put on an improved show.

India 153-0 from 25.5 overs

100! Shikhar Dhawan slams his seventh Test century, the sixth batsman to reach the milestone before lunch on day one of a Test match.

India 75-0 from 10.5 overs

FIFTY! Shikhar Dhawan gets to his sixth Test fifty with a four! Rashid Khan's delivery goes in vain as the ball races towards the boundary at deep mid-wicket.

India 54/0 from 11 overs:

Afghanistan might have missed the trick by choosing not to take a review for Dhawan. There was a faint edge and remember, they had appealed for the caught behind. India and Dhawan won't mind this though with fifty up in eleven overs.

Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bat in what is a historic Test for Asghar Stanikzai-led Afghanistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.

Karun Nair, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav and Navdeep Saini could not make it to India's playing XI as KL Rahul set to bat in the middle order with all the three openers are in the team.

Afghanistan, bruised by war and what not back home, will make their Test debut as they take on India in the one-off Test.

While Afghanistan are playing their first ever Test, there is no shortage of confidence. The Afghanistan skipper had said that his team has better spinners – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Zahir Khan and Hamza Hotak – than India, who have the likes of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in their ranks.

While the next five days will define which set of spinners will have an upperhand, Indian batting has a proven pedigree even without Virat Kohli’s presence in the squad.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, will have Mohammad Shahzad, who will lead their batting charge against the Indian attack.

Squads:

India: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur.

Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai (Captain), Mohammad Shahzad, Javed Ahmadi, Ihsanullah Jannat, Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Zahir Khan, Hamza Hotak, Syed Ahmad Sherzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Wafadar Momand, Mujeeb ur Rahman.