🏏Afghanistan tour of India 2026: Only Test on 6th June @ 9:30AM🏏

🏏Afghanistan tour of India 2026: Only Test at New Chandigarh on 6th June @ 9:30AM IST🏏

India make red-ball switch for Afghanistan challenge in New Chandigarh's maiden Test

As the season of Test cricket is upon us, India (IND) and Afghanistan (AFG) will engage in a challenging red-ball encounter for the Only Test of the tour at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. The upcoming game will mark only the second time the two teams will be meeting in a Test match, starting Saturday, June 06.

India will be playing their first Test in 2026, which, though, will not be a part of the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. However, this game will give India the much-needed opportunity to get a taste of playing red-ball at home, given their recent record, where they faced whitewashes against New Zealand and South Africa in disappointing campaigns.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, find themselves, for the second time ever, facing the Indian team in five-day cricket. The first time the two teams went up against each other marked history, as it marked the first-ever Test match for them. While the Afghans were debutantes to Test cricket in 2018, they have an excellent opportunity to take revenge from eight years ago.

When: India vs Afghanistan, one-off Test - June 6 to 10 at 9:30 AM IST

Where: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh

What to expect: The venue will be hosting its first ever Test match, close on the heels of a couple of IPL playoffs games that were played here. The pitch looked a touch green a day before the game but with the hot conditions, it is expected to dry out quickly and assist the spinners. Temperatures in the late 30s to early 40s will be especially challenging for the players.

In the spotlight: Kuldeep Yadav and Rahmat Shah

In the absence of R Ashwin (retired), Ravindra Jadeja (rested) and Axar Patel (dropped), Kuldeep Yadav will be India's lead spinner. With Washington Sundar and one of Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar likely to be the other two spinners in the XI, Kuldeep may have to do the heavy lifting. He had a poor IPL - ten wickets in 12 games at an economy of 10.29 - but Delhi Capitals' early exit gave him a few extra days to get "a feel of the red ball".

Rahmat Shah remains Afghanistan's most technically sound batter. He also has the most runs, most hundreds and most 50-plus scores for them in Test cricket. And, alongside Shahidi, he is also one of their two double-centurions in the format. Rahmat knows how to anchor the innings, and in the absence of opener Ibrahim Zadran, that responsibility will be even greater.

Team news:

India:

Sai Sudharsan is set to continue at No. 3 for India, which means Devdutt Padikkal will have to wait longer for a spot in the Test XI. It will be a toss-up between Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey for the third spinner's spot with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar set to be the lead spinners.

Probable XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy, Harsh Dubey / Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Afghanistan: This will be Afghanistan's first Test since playing one against Zimbabwe in October 2025. Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai, who have played only one Test each, have returned to the squad, as has veteran batter Rahmat Shah. They are without Rashid Khan, but the spin department remains well stocked with the presence of Qais Ahmad, Sharafuddin Ashraf and Nangeyalia Kharote.

Probable XI: Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Sediqullah Atal, Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Qais Ahmad, Zia Sharifi, Nangeyalia Kharotai

Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh: Pitch Report

This will be the first time a Test match will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, becoming the 31st venue to host the format on Indian soil. It is expected to be a sporty track on offer at the venue, making it suitable for fast bowlers for a large part of the first couple of days.

As the Test progresses into the middle stage, the surface is expected to get easier to bat on. And in case the game stretches to the last couple of days, a rarity in India of late, spinners will be seen dominating on the wicket here. Batting first can be a wise choice on such a wicket, as chasing a target in the fourth innings might become a challenging task.

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on a black-soil pitch that is expected to be batter-friendly. June is the hottest month in India, so the conditions will be harsh, with afternoon temperatures potentially touching 40°C.

Stats and trivia: A home Test without Ashwin and Jadeja

The last time India played a home Test without Ashwin and Jadeja was in 2010, against New Zealand in Nagpur. That was before either of them had made their debut.

This will be Rishabh Pant's 50th Test. Only MS Dhoni (90) and Syed Kirmani (88) have played more as wicketkeeper for India.

Shubman Gill needs 157 runs to reach 3000 in Test cricket.

Rahmat is 30 short of becoming the first Afghanistan batter to reach 1000 Test runs.

Left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf was the leading wicket-taker in the 2025 Ahmad Shah Abdali Trophy, with 36 wickets in six games at an average of 17.11.

Thank you, Raji for the thread and for tagging.

Best wishes to both teams, and a bit more for India.

Thanks Raji dear for thread

Thank you for the tag Rajji

So pant is playing, then why was there this news that he is not selected

A lovely morning to all of you for this one-off Test between India and Afghanistan. The brutality of the white ball over the last couple of months is now followed by the warmth of the red ball. It was all about adrenaline, aggression, and spontaneity during the peak Indian summer. It's now time for temperament, technique, grit and patience. The bowlers will definitely be happier in this phase. Think about the players. They were away from home, throwing a lot of intensity on the field, doing a lot of strategy to attain glory, some failed, some won, the physical exhaustion and the mental drain. Just five days later, they are playing the toughest format of the game. But that's professional sport for you.