India host Afghanistan in a one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, from Saturday, June 6. The match will go on until June 10 if it lasts the full five days. This is India’s first red-ball assignment at home after they were beaten 0-2 by South Africa last year. While Afghanistan are not expected to put up as stringent a challenge as the Proteas did, India cannot afford to take them lightly.
They have selected a strong team for the same, although Auqib Nabi’s absence is deeply felt. The right-arm seamer, who almost single-handedly won Jammu and Kashmir the Ranji Trophy in 2025-26, was strangely not given a call-up. Instead, Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar was selected to partner Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna with the new ball. Afghanistan, meanwhile, will be without Rashid Khan, who has been left out due to an injury that prevents him from bowling long spells.
The absence of perhaps their greatest-ever player gives opportunities to the others in the Afghanistan squad to make their mark. The pitch in New Chandigarh is unknown since it is the first time that a Test will be played here. Recently, the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (which Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully defended) were held here. So, some swing and movement off the wicket were seen. Still, India will most probably go with two seamers and two spinners. Afghanistan are likely to follow the same formula.
Predicted Teams
IND: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.
AFG: Rahmanullah, Ibrahim Zadran, Hasmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah, Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammed Saleem.
Key Players
Rishabh Pant (IND): Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant did not have the best of times in the IPL, and even resigned from the LSG captaincy at the end of the season. However, he is a proven match-winner in Test cricket. Walking out to bat in the lower middle-order, Pant takes the attack to the opposition, especially threatening the spinners. The southpaw is known to be comfortable playing the slog sweep shot. Behind the stumps, too, Pant is a reliable choice.
Ibrahim Zadran (AFG): Top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran is one of the best stroke-makers that Afghanistan have produced. Zadran, who can also keep wickets, will open the innings for the visitors. He is known to be sharp in judging the line and length of each delivery before deciding whether to play or leave it alone. Moreover, as time progresses and Zadran gets set, he can become a dangerous player with regard to shot selection and decision-making. He will be a major threat.
Match Prediction
At home, India’s strength has considerably diminished, especially after they faced clean sweeps from New Zealand and South Africa last year. However, they can do much more than Afghanistan, who are still dipping their toes in red-ball cricket. The Afghans can perhaps challenge the Men in Blue in a few departments and a few moments here and there. Yet, the home team’s potential is unparalleled. We expect India to win comfortably
