With Shubman Gill as the Captain, discover the India vs Afghanistan 2026 only Test full best squad and players list for the Indian team.
The Indian Premier League fever is about to get over, and the real business for the Indian team begins just a few days after the IPL 2026 final. Yes, the first major assignment for the Indian team post the IPL fever is the Afghanistan Tour of India 2026. Afghanistan shall be touring India for a one-off Test match and a 3-match ODI series starting June 6th 2026. While the ODI series carries significant importance because of the 2027 ODI World Cup, the one-off Test match is the one that looks most exciting.
After witnessing 220-250 runs being scored in every alternate match in the Indian Premier League, like pan cakes, Test cricket will bring back the evenly balanced battle between the bat and ball. While the return of the longest format of the game after almost 6 months itself is exciting, it will once again be that young Indian team under Shubman Gill trying to dominate the world post the Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli era.
However, the India vs Afghanistan 2026 Test match will just be a one-off game, and it won’t be a part of the ICC World Test Championship. So, while it’s definitely exciting to see the return of Test cricket, the excitement will only be limited to one match. The one-off Test match shall be played from June 6 to 10 at the new stadium of New Chandigarh. It’s a beautiful stadium, and supposedly Shubman Gill’s home ground.
India vs Afghanistan 2026 Squad Explained
With this being just a one-off Test match, India may still not take the match lightly, and we can expect a full-strength 15-member squad for the game. The last time India played a Test match was in December against South Africa. So, it’s been quite a long time since India played a Test match. Also, a lot has happened since that Test series. So, we may have to revisit again with regard to the squad the Indian team is likely to select.
The young Indian team under Shubman Gill has been trying to make a mark in Test cricket post the Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli era. It has been a challenging journey so far, and the one that saw a lot of ups and downs, and experimentation too. After a lot of experimentation and performance evaluation, Team India seem to have finally settled on five batters – Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, and Devdutt Padikkal.
Led by Captain Shubman Gill at 4, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have a fairly settled batting position. But number 3 is the position where India haven’t got the player they needed. The Team did trust Sai Sudharsan for a lot of matches, but after having failed to impress in this position, he is now looked at as a backup more. Other than Sai, India now are also evaluating Devdutt Padikkal for the number 3 slot. Meanwhile, for wicket-keepers, India have finally settled on two solid options – Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel. While Pant is by far the leading keeper for Team India, Dhurv, more than the backup, is now looked at as a specialist wicket-keeper.
Who Will be the Third Pacer?
Moving on to All-rounders, India have four solid options, and all four are likely to continue for this match too. While Nitish Reddy is the sole pace All-rounder in the side, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar are the three Spin all-rounders in the side. Overall, Jadeja and Sundar are first-choice options, and one of Reddy or Axar may play depending on the pitch being offered.
Coming to the bowlers that are likely to get selected, India will once again focus on selecting 3 pacers and 1 spinner. In terms of pacers, Jasprit Bumrah should lead the attack, with Mohammed Siraj being the second-best spinner. For the third spinner slot, since Harshit Rana is yet to recover, India are likely to select Anshul Kamboj as the third pacer, who looked impressive in the ongoing Indian Premier League. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav shall continue to remain the leading spinner of the squad.
India vs Afghanistan 2026 Only Test Indian Team Full Official Squad List
Batters
- Devdutt Padikkal
- KL Rahul
- Sai Sudharsan
- Shubman Gill (c)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
Wicket-keepers
All-rounders
- Harsh Dubey
- Nitish Reddy
- Washington Sundar
Bowlers
- Prasidh Krishna
- Manav Suthar
- Gurnoor Brar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Siraj
So, that’s about the best squad and players list for the India vs Afghanistan 2026 One-off Test match. Overall, it will be a solid return to International cricket after the intense 2 months of IPL 2026. The team will be eager to come together after having played for varied franchises over the last two months. Afghanistan, meanwhile, will be relying on their spinners to make inroads in the Test match. While bowling won’t be much of an issue for Afghanistan, batting will be. It is their weak area, and they will have to play some exceptional cricket to challenge this Indian team.
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