As India marched towards 564 for 8 declared in Mullanpur, Afghanistan's bowlers spent much of the first two days searching for answers. Multiple batters got starts and several converted them into substantial contributions. Yet amid the flood of runs, one bowler continued to find a way through. By the time India called their innings to a close, Mohammad Saleem had figures of 6 for 140 from 27 overs, accounting for six of the eight wickets to fall.

This was only Saleem's second Test appearance, more than two years after his debut against Sri Lanka in February 2024. Opportunities have been scarce for the 23-year-old, who had not played an international match since that Test against Sri Lanka. But when the chance finally arrived against India, he produced the performance of his young career. More remarkably, he did so on a surface that offered limited assistance to seamers and in conditions that tested endurance as much as skill.

Rather than relying on pace or extravagant movement, Saleem built his success on repetition. He repeatedly landed the ball in testing areas, trusted the surface to do just enough and forced India's batters to earn every run.

That quality was what impressed Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus the most. "What I enjoyed about him is his consistency today, you know, he's not a 145, 150 bowler, he's super consistent," Pybus said after the day's play. "Yesterday we were way off, you know, we were just way off for Test-level bowling.

"It's just that consistency, you know, with the ball which we're using, it's got a proud seam, so it grips the surface, there's enough in that surface that if you are consistent is that the wicket and the seam will give you enough, just enough to take the edge."

For much of India's innings, that proved to be the defining challenge. The surface did not offer enough assistance for bowlers searching for miracle deliveries. But it did reward discipline. Saleem recognised that early and committed to a simple plan. Target the same areas, let the batters make mistakes and capitalise on the opportunities when they arrived.

"He was just fantastic and he just held a length and if you hold a length you're in the game the whole time," Pybus said. "How that plays out going into tomorrow, we'll see, maybe as the wicket dries a little bit more. But just that consistency...If you come here and you take six wickets in extreme heat against high-quality batting, that bodes very well, not just for him as a bowler but for us as a side."

The relentless bowling from Saleem also drew praise from the opposition dressing room, with Washington Sundar, who spent some time in the middle, offering a batter's perspective on what made Saleem difficult to face. "That was honestly high-quality bowling because you could just see his bowling and know where he's coming from," Sundar said. "He brought in that kind of skill sets in the last couple of days.

"Especially in this heat and there wasn't much to offer for the seamers apart from... I mean only when you hit the seam over a period of time you sort of get a little bit of purchase. But for you to sort of hit the seam over a number of overs, I mean it takes a lot of skill sets and obviously attitude also," Sundar added.

The heat in Mullanpur was a recurring talking point throughout the match, with players from both sides forced to contend with draining conditions. For fast bowlers in particular, maintaining intensity through long spells demanded considerable physical effort. Saleem not only embraced that workload but appeared to thrive on it.

"He bowled long spells every single time," Sundar said. "I think every single spell he bowled he bowled more than four, five, even six overs in one of those spells. You understand how tough he is as a character and you would expect that in Test cricket. Definitely congrats to him. It's amazing for anyone to come to India and get a six-for as a seamer. It's something else."

On a day dominated by India's batters, Saleem ensured that the story was not entirely one-sided, even if the game appeared that way.