India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bat first against Afghanistan in the one-off Test in New Chandigarh, with left-arm spinner Manav Suthar making his Test debut.
IND vs AFG One-off Test: India choose to bat against Afghanistan (PC: BCCI/X)
India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan in the one-off four-day Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday, with left-arm spinner Manav Suthar making his Test debut.
The match marks India’s return to red-ball cricket less than a week after the IPL 2026 final and serves as a key preparation fixture ahead of a packed Test calendar featuring series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia.
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Explaining the decision, Gill said the hot and humid conditions are expected to make the pitch “slower and lower” as the game progresses.
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“We are gonna bat first. Very hot and humid. It’s going to get slower and lower. Very special, I grew up playing here. It’s a great privilege to captain here. The preparation has been good. We’ve got Manav Suthar making his debut,” Gill said at the toss.
India have opted for a youthful combination as they begin a transitional phase under head coach Gautam Gambhir, with several senior players unavailable. Sai Sudharsan slots in at No. 3, while Suthar earns his maiden Test cap.
The smile says it all ☺️🧢
Congratulations to debutant Manav Suthar as he receives his #TeamIndia Test cap from Kuldeep Yadav 🙌
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/Au50EfVM30#INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/YRa3nUnYIY
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 6, 2026
Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted he would have preferred to bat first but expressed confidence in his side’s preparation.
“We wanted to bat as well, as the wicket looks good. We are ready for the challenge. We had a good preparation camp in Kabul. We have three seamers and two spinners, and one debutant – Nangeyalia Kharote,” Shahidi said.
The fixture is only the second Test meeting between the two nations after India defeated Afghanistan by an innings and 262 runs in their inaugural encounter in 2018.
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Afsar Zazai (wicketkeeper), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi.
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