Ajinkya Rahane to Lead India Against Afghanistan, Dinesh Karthik Likely to Captain 'A' Team

Ajinkya Rahane will be leading India when they play against Afghanistan in the historic game at Bengaluru in June later this year. The Afghans will be making their Test debut against India.

In the absence of Virat Kohli, who will be playing for Surrey club in county season, Rahane would be given the responsibility to lead the side.

The One-off Test against Afghanistan will start on June 14.  The selection committee is set to meet on May 8. They will announce as many as six different squads for the upcoming challenges.

The announcement of Indian squads are expected for the following series- One-off Test against Afghanistan, India ‘A’ team for a tour of England, ‘A’ team for tri-series involving England ‘A’ and Windies ‘A’, Twenty20 squad for the tour of Ireland.

Apart from it, T20 squad for the tour of England, the One-day squad for matches in England. Virat Kohli will be joining Team India during the T20s against Ireland.

The team will then play three T20Is as many ODIs and five Tests against England.

Quick Read: BCCI Unhappy with Virat Kohli’s Decision to Skip Afghanistan Test for County Stint

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members are also keen to balance out the workload of Indian cricketers. This will see more chances given to proven Indian Premier League (IPL) cricketers.

“The likes of KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Ravichandran Ashwin and Krunal Pandya are expected to be part of ‘A’ team. “Expect Pandya to be part of India’s T20 team, the way he’s been going about with his game,” a senior BCCI official told TOI.

Dinesh Karthik expected to retain his place as Ajinkya Rahane has a huge role to play:

Karthik might be part of Indian team after his recent performances. His recent surge in form has helped earn a name for himself.

Karthik’s incredible heroics to lead India to victory in the Nidahas Trophy final had certainly added to his credentials. He is likely to retain his place in the middle order despite the presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“Expect the batsmen to get a lot of playing hours and a very balanced work-chart for the pacers,” sources said.

Indian cricket team regulars Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya are likely to be part of Afghanistan Test match.

While Cheteshwar Pujara, who is currently playing for Yorkshire will also be back to play in the historic game on June 14.

Also, Read: Eight Indian Players to Miss Historic Test Match Against Afghanistan