New Chandigarh: For Afghanistan fast bowler Mohammed Saleem Safi, the PCA International Stadium in New Chandigarh will hold a special place. On a scorching Sunday, with the India batters piling on the runs and their own DRS calls not up to scratch, the 23-year-old stood out with an excellent spell.
While India marched to 564/8 declared in the first innings, Saleem alone showed defiance for Afghanistan, claiming 6/140. In only the second Test between the teams, Saleem’s is the first five-for from either side.
Saleem, 23, is playing in only his second Test, two years after making his debut against Sri Lanka. Against a strong batting line-up led by skipper Shubman Gill, the young pacer showcased skill, persistence and temperament.
Saleem had removed Yashasvi Jaiswal early on Saturday, then dismissing the set B Sai Sudharsan for a fluent 81. The left-hander, who had stitched a 139-run partnership with KL Rahul, edged behind a 142-kph delivery outside off-stump.
His biggest scalp was that of Gill, who has batting on a magnificent 126. He nicked behind the stumps to hand Saleem his third wicket. The dismissal brought a rare moment of celebration for the visitors in an otherwise challenging outing.
Among his six scalps, Dhruv Jurel’s dismissal stood out. The delivery jagged back and crashed into the stumps as the batter tried to leave the ball. It was a reminder of the movement and pace that have made him one of the bright prospects of his country. Manav Suthar and Mohammed Siraj were his final victims as Saleem completed a marathon spell of 27 overs, with three maidens, under draining conditions.
Born in Baghlan, north Afghanistan, Saleem’s rise hasn’t been straightforward. Afghanistan’s cricketing identity has traditionally been built on world-class spinners. He was spotted by former Pakistan pacer and coach Rana Naved-ul-Hasan at Afghanistan’s high-performance centre in Kabul, where his pace and ability to move the ball attracted attention.
The journey wasn’t always smooth. Saleem has spoken about financial hardships almost pulling him away from cricket. Yet he persevered. His determination eventually earned him selection in the Afghanistan’s squads across formats, leading to his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2023 and a T20I debut against India in 2024.
Afghanistan coach Richard Pybus praised his bowling. “Bowling to quality batters in tough conditions and then maintaining consistency is a remarkable thing to do.” India allrounder Washington Sundar said: “There was not much on the pitch for a quick bowler to extract. It speaks a lot about his skillset bowling in such conditions and taking wickets.”
In a nation whose players have built their reputation playing in franchise T20 leagues and punching above their weight in white-ball World Cups, Tests have been hard to get. Since their Test entry eight years ago, Afghanistan are playing only their 13th match. Saleem may be one of those Afghan players to pray for more red-ball outings.