Afghanistan's Catastrophic DRS Failures Let KL Rahul and Others Off the Hook in India Test — India Win by an Innings and 300 Runs

Afghanistan play Test cricket infrequently and away from their home conditions even less so. The one-off Mullanpur fixture was their first Test on Indian soil in some time. The gaps between Test appearances mean players develop habits — particularly around DRS usage — less reliably than sides who play Tests continuously. The mechanics of whether to review an lbw or a caught-behind in flat Indian conditions, against a pace-bowling attack backed by spin, require specific match practice and team discussion that Afghanistan did not have in depth going into the fixture.

Richard Pybus's "incredibly rusty" comment captured the structural problem: a side whose best cricketers play T20 leagues across the world between rare Test outings cannot maintain the tactical sharpness that Test cricket's review system demands.

India vs Afghanistan Tests tend to be one-sided. India's depth at home is formidable; Afghanistan's Test record in the subcontinent requires them to execute well across all phases to stay competitive. DRS usage is a marginal gain in most matches; in Afghanistan's case in Mullanpur, it was a critical failure that compounded an already uphill task.

The 2026 one-off Test between India and Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, was never expected to be close — but Afghanistan's serial misuse of the Decision Review System turned a difficult task into an impossible one before the first day was done.

The first and most consequential missed review came early in India's innings. KL Rahul was on 16 when Ziaur Rahman induced what appeared to be a clean edge, with a genuine sound and a deviation that the wicketkeeper caught cleanly. Umpire Sharfuddoula did not give it out. Afghanistan's captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and the rest of the team huddled briefly — and chose not to review. Replays showed a clear edge. Rahul went on to score a century.

The pattern repeated on day two. Azmatullah Omarzai produced a ball that beat Shubman Gill's outside edge, with an lbw appeal plumb by any visual analysis. Shahidi, again, declined to review. Hawk-Eye confirmed it would have been out. Omarzai, still in the same over, then beat Rishabh Pant's outside edge for a caught-behind that the umpire rejected. Once more, no review. The Pant ball showed a clear spike on Snicko in the replays.

Three missed reviews. Three batters who should have been back in the pavilion allowed to continue. Rahul, Gill, and Pant between them contributed hundreds of runs to a total that buried Afghanistan.

Social media flooded with bewilderment. The phrase "DRS coach" became a trending topic in India. Afghanistan's coaching staff — led by British-born Richard Pybus, who had returned to the role for the Test assignment — faced questions about whether players had been adequately briefed on DRS protocols, particularly for the challenges of reviewing lbw and caught-behind decisions against spin in sub-continental conditions.

Pybus acknowledged in his post-match assessment that Afghanistan had wasted review opportunities, describing the team as "incredibly rusty" in the longest format after a long gap between Test appearances.

“Just incredibly rusty. These guys play T20s all around the world, but Test match thinking — and particularly DRS — is a different skill set that you build with match time.”

The match outcome — a crushing innings defeat — produced post-mortem analysis focused almost entirely on the DRS failures. Afghan fans were vocal in their frustration; the coaching staff acknowledged the problem without offering specifics about how they intended to address it. Afghanistan's next Test appearances remained some time away, which meant the structural issue — inadequate Test-format practice — would persist regardless of the public discussion.

India, meanwhile, had enjoyed a comfortable title workout. KL Rahul's century highlighted his case for Test selection ahead of the England summer; Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant's contributions added to an already settled batting order. None of them needed the DRS reprieve to make their case, but the records show they received one.