India vs Afghanistan Test LIVE Updates: India ends day at 347/6, Dhawan-Vijay hit tons

All eyes would be on debutant Afghanistan when they face India in one of the Test at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday. It would be interesting to see whether the exuberance of Afghanistan, which recently whitewashed Bangladesh in T-20 series, would be able to challenge the experience of India.

The match is being closely watched not just by fans of India and Afghanistan but by the political regime in their respective countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people of Afghanistan as their team plays their first international test match.

"I congratulate the people of Afghanistan as their cricket team plays their first international test match. Glad that they have chosen to play the historic match with India. Best wishes to both teams! May sports continue to bring our people closer & strengthen ties," Modi tweeted.

LIVE Updates and SCORECARD:

# 06:10 PM: India are 347/6 at stumps on Day 1 (Dhawan 107, Vijay 105) against Afghanistan

# 4:15 PM: OUT! KL Rahul walks back! Rahul b Ahmadzai 54(64)

# 03:52 PM: Murali Vijay completes his century. Number 12 for him! and he celebrates with KL Rahul with a DAB! India 268/1, after 50 Overs.

#03:07 PM: India after 48.4 overs: 264/1, Vijay 99 (142), Rahul 44 (55)

#03:05 PM: Rashid Khan to Murli Vijay: Takes a single to reach 99. But wait...Vijay is running back to pavilion and its raining heavily again.

#02:50 PM: Covers are coming off. The rain has stopped and the play will resume shortly.

#01:50 PM: Drizzle without any short of warning stops play at Chinnaswamy. IND 248/1 (45.1 Ovs), Murali Vijay 94(128) Lokesh Rahul 33(48)

#12:20 PM: Ahmadzai scalps Shikhar Dhawan 107, IND 168/1 after 28.4 overs

#11:35 AM: At lunch, India 158 for no loss; Shikhar Dhawan scores 104 runs not out

#11:25AM : Shikhar Dhawan hit his seventh century in Test cricket

#10:55 AM: Score after 20 overs: IND 109-0, Dhawan 75(71) Vijay 21(50) 

#10:30 AM: Shikhar Dhawan hits fifty.

#09:55 AM: Score after 5 overs: India- 18/0 Dhawan 9(13), Vijay 4 (17)

#09:30 AM: Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay out there. Yamin Ahmedzai to bowl Afghanistan's first ball in Test cricket.

#09:10 AM: India win the toss and they have elected to bat first. I am a little surprised by their decision. Rain is predicted and despite that, Rahane chose to bat first. Seems like they are giving Afghanistan a chance to showcase their bowling skills.  

#09:00 AM: A message from the Afghanistan President: "As President of Afghanistan, I welcome their maiden Test match against India. I am proud of the men who championed cricket in Afghanistan in the dawn of the century and believed in themselves that one day Afghanistan will play against the best in the world. Today is that historic day. On behalf of all Afghans, I pay tribute to their contribution to the game of cricket and honour them for their contribution to the game. India and now Afghanistan are now two major Asian forces in cricket. We thank India and BCCI for their role in the development in Afghanistan cricket, and for organizing this match, and also request other Test-playing nations to organize Test series against Afghanistan."

#08:50 AM: PM Modi congratulates Afghanistan team: "I congratulate the people of Afghanistan as their cricket team plays their first international test match. Glad that they have chosen to play the historic match with India. Best wishes to both teams! May sports continue to bring our people closer and strengthen ties," Modi tweets.

I congratulate the people of Afghanistan as their cricket team plays their first international test match. Glad that they have chosen to play the historic match with India. Best wishes to both teams! May sports continue to bring our people closer and strengthen ties.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2018

#08:45 AM: Weather report: Dark clouds circle around the Chinnaswamy. 60% chances of rain today, which means the winner of the toss may opt to bowl first.

#08:30 AM: "Afghanistan's story has been the story of post-millennial cricket. In a war-struck state, they look to a sport for hope," says Harsha Bhogle.

#08:00 AM: Hello and welcome to the News Nation Live updates. History will be created as Afghanistan lock horns with India in a Test match for the first time. Its the Afghan express' debut test match against the world's best team and they have nothing to lose and a lot to gain as they play against the world number one. Will Rashid Khan be able to trouble mighty Indian batsman? Will the exuberance of Afghanistan challenge the experience of India? Stay with us as we bring you all the latest updates and live commentary on India vs Afghanistan Test match.