India cricket team will return to whites for the first time in 2026 as they take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test in New Chandigarh from June 6 onwards. Not a lot has changed in the team’s setup since India’s last series loss at home to South Africa last year. But, quite a few players and departments will be under the scrutiny. Firstly, Sai Sudharshan since he has been given a long rope at number 3 despite sub-par performances in 2025. Second, Rishabh Pant who has been relieved as the vice-captain in an attempt to boost his performance with the bat without the burden of a leadership role.
The third and the most important point is how India’s bowling attack will look like, given that there are only a few experienced bowlers but the playing XI is expected to have more new-comers. Although the IND vs AFG one-off Test isn’t a part of the World Test Championship (WTC 2025/27) cycle, the game is an important one for the unit as a whole, as they attempt to hit the reset button.
Sai Sudharsan gets a long rope, can he justify it?
Sai Sudharsan is the first player who will be under the scanner in the one-off Test against Afghanistan. Since making his debut in 2025, the Tamil Nadu batter – who succeeded the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli as the number 3 batter – managed to score just 302 runs from 11 innings. Despite his sub-par performances for India in the longest format of the game, Sai Su has been given the long rope.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that Sudharsan will be considered for selection for the IND vs AFG Test ahead of competitor Devdutt Padikkal. It is pertinent to point out that Sai Sudharsan amassed over 700 runs in IPL 2026, indicating that he is in very good touch. However, what matters is the fact that he failed to perform as well in Tests despite having a stellar IPL season in 2025, where he emerged as the Orange Cap winner.
“Honestly, Sai hasn’t got a fair chance,” Gambhir said. “He’s only played, what, a handful of Test matches. And he started his Test career in England, which we all know is not the easiest place. And he’s had a phenomenal run in the IPL as well, and we’ve got to give him a fair chance. I still believe that he hasn’t got a fair chance.”
Therefore, this one-off Test against AFG is a stage where Sai Sudharsan can simply not fail. Especially since Padikkal is closing on securing the coveted number 3 spot.
Can Rishabh Pant fire?
Rishabh Pant will enter the IND vs AFG one-off Test with a lesser burden as he has been relieved of the responsibility of vice-captain, a role that he was appointed to earlier in 2025. Mind you, the southpaw’s performances as a batter wasn’t affected by the leadership role. He scored 629 runs from 13 innings at an average of 48.38, including 4 fifties and two hundreds in 2025. However, the selectors felt so otherwise, and decided to name KL Rahul as Gill’s deputy for the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
With 3476 runs from 49 Tests at an average of 42.91, Pant is one of the best modern-day players for India in the longest format of the game. However, he has been criticised by several critics and the team management in the past for his rash shot-selection, which has prevented him from scoring big knocks. Speaking about Rishabh being stripped off the vice-captaincy post, Gambhir said that a player’s performance mattered the most when it comes to international cricket, firing an indirect warning to Pant ahead of the one-off Test.
“See, responsibility is only for playing for India. The rest of everything else is a by-product. When you start playing for India, you don’t think about being a vice-captain. You think about doing good for India. So going from one to the other is only a by-product. And ultimately, everyone is judged on performance. Be it me, be it the support staff, be it any player. Ultimately, that is what international cricket is all about. And as far as Rishabh is concerned, we will expect him to be the way he is,” Gambhir said.
India’s all-round combination
A day before, India assistant head coach Ryan ten Doeschate dropped a hint on what India’s playing XI could look like for the one-off Test in New Chandigarh. He said that the team will prefer fielding two seamers, a spinner and two spin all-rounders. Doeschate also hinted at the team preferring an experienced spin all-rounder in the side. Well, this certainly means that Washington Sundar is bound to be a part of the playing XI.
This brings us to two stars – Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey. Both stars have earned their maiden Test call-ups, but only one can feature in the IND vs AFG Test. Both the all-rounders have been exceptional in the domestic circuit over the last couple of years. Suthar has 129 wickets and 945 runs from 29 first-class matches while Dubey has 133 wickets and 1026 runs from 27 FC matches.
Sans Siraj, can India’s inexperienced pace attack survive?
Mohammed Siraj, who is India’s most experienced pacer in the squad named for the Afghanistan Test, is unlikely to feature in the fixture. Even though assistant coach ten Doeschate claimed earlier that he bowled at full throttle in the nets, the fast-bowler is bound to be rested as he has been on the road for the last two months while playing for GT in IPL 2026.
Now, with no Bumrah and Siraj, India’s pace department will probably comprise of Prasidh Krishna and newbie Gurnoor Brar. With the team deciding to go with two pacers, there could also be a case where the management opts for Nitish Kumar Reddy as the second pacer in place of Brar. However, this is unlikely because of two reasons. One, Brar has earned his maiden India call-up after some exceptional performances in the domestic circuit. Second, NKR was hardly used with the ball by SRH during IPL 2026, casting aspersions on his ability to bowl long spells.
India squad for one-off AFG Test
Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)
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