Afghanistan, since their international debut in 2009, dreamed for over nine years to play a Test match. They crossed hurdles, they crossed borders. They shocked big teams, they scripted fairytales. They did whatever was required and some more to realise this dream. So, there was a lot of talk, expectation and hope when that dream materialised – when they took on the world’s best side at their backyard.

But all of it lasted for two days. Their batting lasted two sessions. In 167+232 balls, Asghar Stanikzai and his men were rudely initiated to Test cricket.

Of course, a defeat against India was expected. But not by an innings and 262 runs. Not within two days, including a short rain interval. But these two days, Afghanistan’s first Test captain would hope, will be an important lesson (albeit a harsh one) for his team’s future in the game’s longest format.

The limited-overs hangover

Ahead of the match, the team’s batting coach, Umesh Patwal, had said, “Afghanistan being only good in T20s is a myth.”

Most of Afghanistan’s frontline batsmen have played more T20s than first-class games. No one has played more than 32 first-class matches.

But Afghanistan had won the Intercontinental Cup twice. They had been training in India for a long time. They had been watching videos of opponents and studying them. All this, the batting coach reckoned, was enough.

It wasn’t.

Firstly, Afghanistan’s bowling – their biggest strength – faltered on the first day. Rashid Khan, for nearly two months in the IPL, was an unstoppable blazing ball of fire in the orange and black of the Sunrisers. On Wednesday morning, in whites, he was a hapless little lamb. Only in the third session, the Afghans found their feet. By then, India had posted a formidable total.

The Afghan batsmen, in the first innings, tried to play their natural game. And, most of their natural game lacked good techniques of defence. The feet hardly moved. The bat-pad gap was too wide. And, they were uncertain while leaving the ball. All these, essential for batting in Tests.

In the second innings, their top-order was uncertain whether to attack or defend. The instinct seemed to ask them to attack. But the situation demanded defence. Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, to their credit, exploited this unsurety, and bowled fuller lengths to end their innings.

But what Afghanistan lacked more than technique was patience.

For instance, there was a phase in the second innings, when they failed to build on a solid partnership. Skipper Stanikzai and Hashmatullah Shahidi had put on 37 runs and for over 16 overs, Afghanistan didn’t lose any wickets. Both batsmen looked well settled. The Indians on the field seemed tiring too. After facing 13 straight dots, Stanikzai went down the track to hoist Jadeja’s short-of-a-length ball over mid-wicket but skied a catch to Dhawan at extra-cover.

This impatience, coupled with the lack in defensive technique, led to Afghanistan’s downfall.

Pandya’s uncharacteristic knock

For lessons on how to curb your instincts, the Afghans could rewatch the innings of Hardik Pandya, who made a 94-ball 71 to take his team past 450.

After the scintillating counterattack against South Africa in Cape Town, wherein he made 93 off 95, Pandya made a duck and three single-digit scores in his next five Test innings – mostly getting undone by his own errors. And, he hasn’t reaped great returns with the ball as well (seven wickets in as many Tests). Ahead of the England tour, his place in the XI wasn’t certain.

Pandya had the opportunity against Afghanistan to justify his selection when he arrived to bat after a mini-collapse by India. From 280/2, the hosts slipped to 334/6.

Ashwin departed early on the second day. Pandya just had Jadeja and the tail-enders for company. And, this was a period when the Afghan bowlers looked most threatening. Ahmadzai had found the right spot on the pitch to bowl and kept hitting that spot constantly and getting the ball to move around.

These deliveries were a little risky to drive. Some of them had to be left alone and it’s against Pandya’s instincts to do that. Meanwhile, Rashid – who bowled much better on day two – got a few deliveries past Pandya’s bat as well from the other end.

But instead of taking them on, Pandya decided to wait for the spell to end and beat the Afghans in persistence. And, it paid off. He swept and cut and drove the Afghan medium pacers and spinners to get to his half-century. By the time Wafadar cramped him and forced him to glove the ball to wicketkeeper Zazai, Pandya had helped India get to a formidable score.

His mature, uncomplicated approach to this innings lends weight for his selection for the tour of England.