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Afghanistan have named their squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series and one-off Test series against India. Hashmatullah Shahidi has been named as the captain of both sides.
Afghanistan are all set to tour India in June after the end of the ongoing IPL season, which concludes with the final scheduled to be played on the 31st of May. The one-off Test scheduled between the two nations is not part of the WTC campaign, while the one-day series will mark the beginning of the preparations for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027.
Afghanistan names squad for upcoming tour of India
The Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to continue with Hashmatullah Shahidi as the skipper of both the ODI and Test squads. Rashid Khan does not feature in the one-off Test as per the reports that claimed he might no longer feature in the longest format due to his injury concerns.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, and Azmatullah Omarzai are part of both squads; however, star batter Ibrahim Zadran shockingly misses out on the Test squad.
ODI Series vs India Squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharotai, AM Ghazanfar, Zia U Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami
Reserve Pool: Qais Ahmad, Saleem Safi, Bashir Ahmad
One-Off Test vs India Squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi
Reserve Pool: Bashir Ahmad, Bahir Shah, Ismat Alam
Afghanistan tour of India: Venues
The upcoming Afghanistan tour of India has been scheduled between the 6th of June and the 20th of June 2026. The one-off Test match will be played between the 6th and 10th of June at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.
The teams will then move to the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala for the first ODI on the 13th of June, while the next two matches are scheduled to be played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium and the MA Chidambaram Stadium on the 17th and 20th of June
Afghanistan looking to extend their lead to finalize direct qualification for CWC 2027
The Afghans have been performing to their very best in ICC tournaments in recent years. They were a dominant side in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in India and had shocked several massive fronts like England.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, made it to the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and gave a tough fight to opponents like New Zealand and South Africa before they were snubbed from a spot in the Super-8.
They are currently placed seventh in the ICC Men's ODI Rankings and have a slight lead over the likes of England and Bangladesh. Considering South Africa's direct entry, they would be the sixth team for qualification; however, they would be keen to extend their lead over their adjacent teams.
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