IPL 2026 is done and dusted, and the focus now returns to international cricket once again. On Wednesday, Team India held their first practice session in New Chandigarh ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, which will commence from June 6 onwards. India have assembled a full-strength side for the game (barring Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja), even though the match isn’t a part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC 2025/27) cycle.
India conduct first practice session for AFG Test after IPL
In a video uploaded by the BCCI on social media platforms, several Team India stars were seen sweating it out in the nets in the team’s first practice session ahead of the one-off Test. Newly-appointed vice-captain KL Rahul was spotted batting in the nets along with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant. As per reports, Shubman Gill – who led Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 and lost to RCB in the final – has also linked up with the side in New Chandigarh, along with fielding coach T Dilip.
As per RevSportz, India cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen involved in deep discussions with the players during the net session, guiding them constantly. The publication also claimed that Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna bowled in full throttle during the practice session. Interestingly, a report earlier today claimed that Siraj is doubtful for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, with the selectors set to take a call on his inclusion in the game within the next 48 hours. Siraj has been on the road for the last two months and has played every match for GT in IPL 2026. Therefore, there are chances that he might be rested for the one-off Test as a part of workload management.
The report also claimed that Auqib Nabi, who picked up 60 wickets in the last Ranji Trophy season but failed to secure a spot in the Test squad, is expected to be the frontrunner to replace Siraj. He is currently a net bowler, along with five others – Gurjapneet Singh, Prince Yadav, Saransh Jain, Zeeshan Ansari and Shivang Kumar. The recent addition to that list of net bowlers is that of Mayank Yadav’s. The injury prone pacer, who was last seen in action in the IPL 2026, has joined the Team India camp in Mullanpur as a net bowler to help the batters prepare for the contest against Afghanistan.
India’s squad for one-off Test vs Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)
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