The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the India National Cricket Team squad for the upcoming one-off Test against the Afghanistan National Cricket Team.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee met in Guwahati on Tuesday, May 19, to finalize the squad for the one-off Test as well as the ODI series against Afghanistan. Notably, the Test match will not be a part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
India Test squad vs Afghanistan: Full Breakdown
India have announced a relatively fresh-looking squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, with the selectors making several bold decisions ahead of the red-ball clash in New Chandigarh. Shubman Gill will lead the 15-member side, while KL Rahul has been appointed vice-captain in place of Rishabh Pant.
The biggest talking point from the squad announcement is the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who has been rested for the Test match as part of workload management. Bumrah’s omission leaves Mohammed Siraj as the senior-most fast bowler in the squad, with Prasidh Krishna also returning to the setup. India have otherwise retained the core of the squad that last played Test cricket during the home series defeat against South Africa in November last year.
Apart from Bumrah, senior all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja (rested) and Axar Patel (dropped) have also been left out of the squad, while fast bowler Akash Deep misses out as well. The selectors have instead turned towards younger left-arm spin options, indicating a clear focus on building bench strength ahead of a packed Test calendar.
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Left-arm spinning all-rounder Manav Suthar and Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar have both received their maiden Test call-ups after impressive performances in domestic cricket. Another left-arm spinner, Harsh Dubey, has also been included in the squad, continuing India’s recent trend of rewarding strong domestic performers.
The batting unit features several familiar names, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, and all-rounder Washington Sundar. Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are the two wicketkeeping options for the one-off Test.
India Test squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wk).
India vs Afghanistan one-off Test: Schedule and Head-to-Head Record
The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will begin on June 6 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The match is scheduled to start at 9:30 AM IST and will be Afghanistan’s second-ever Test against the India National Cricket Team.
India and Afghanistan have played only one Test match against each other so far. The match took place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in June 2018, where the India National Cricket Team registered a dominant innings and 262-run victory inside two days. Shikhar Dhawan smashed 107 off just 96 balls, while Murali Vijay amassed 105 as India posted 474 in the first innings.
Afghanistan were bowled out for 109 in the first innings and 103 in the second innings after being forced to follow on. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up four wickets in the first innings, while Ravindra Jadeja claimed four wickets in the second innings to seal a massive victory for India.
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