It was on Tuesday, that Ajit Agarkar and Co. picked their team for the upcoming IND vs AFG series, starting June 04. While the core remained the same, it was a few calls, three to be precise, that really need to be discussed. It was the selection of Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar, for the ODIs and Test — and also the inclusion of Manav Suthar & Harsh Dubey in the longer format (ODI call-up for Dubey too), that needs to be spoken about.
Gurnoor Brar promising, but where is the experience
Ever since Ishant Sharma faded away, Team India always needed a towering pacer, who could trouble the batters with his pace and bounce. And it seems Gurnoor Brar was on the radar for a while. But his inclusion comes at the expense of a few whys.
Why Brar over Auqib Nabi: For starters, he pipped J&K’s Auqib Nabi, who had 104 wickets in the last two seasons, while the 6’5 Brar missed the 2025-26 Ranji season for Punjab (largely), while the 2024-25 season brought him 27 wickets in 7 matches. So, clearly the Kashmiri bowler looks better here. Apart from the IND A showing vs AUS A, where he picked up 8 wickets, there isn’t much to show statistically on him. So, on what basis did he pip the former.
Why pick an injury prone pacer: While little is known about his injury concerns, except for the back fracture in 2023-24 season, what is baffling is, he has only played 18 FC matches since his debut in Dec 2022. The team has already been dealing with the injury issues of Akash Deep, and Brar could just add to the list.
The verdict: For all we know, he could be the find of the year; he clearly has the backing of the selectors, who perhaps know a lot more than an average fan. He had impressed Shikhar Dhawan as a net bowler in IPL 2023, while the rest remains a mystery. This selection could make the team suffer.
Why two left-arm spinners together?
Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey are two left-arm spinners who can bat lower down the order, apart from their bowling capabilities. Both pick wickets at will in domestic cricket, and score some valuable runs down the order, but did they deserve to be picked together?
Axar forgotten: When someone like an Axar Patel is yet to cement his spot in the Test side, then how is getting two left-arm spinners justified? Yes Jadeja has been rested, but wasn’t Axar the other spinner? He has 57 wickets in 15 matches, and has scored 688 runs at an average of 35.
Same skill, essentially: Suthar and Dubey have nearly identical numbers in FC cricket. In 27 matches, he has picked 133 wickets and scored 1026 runs at an average of 25. Suthar has 129 wickets in 29, and has scored 945 runs at an average of 25. So, what different skill are they brining to the table? Or is it just of them being like-for-like replacements?
The verdict: Agarkar, in the PC made it clear, that their selection was based, keeping in mind the future. He said, “We wanted to try to see other options as well.” So, it is only fair that Dubey and Suthar, who have performed consistently for A sides too, get their due. In the IND A vs AUS A series, Suthar picked 8 wickets, while Dubey picked 3 in 1 match. In the South Africa A series, they returned with 5 wickets collectively.
India squads for AFG series
Test squad
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel.
ODI squad
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (subject to fitness), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (subject to fitness), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
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