Shubman Gill-led Team India will take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur from Saturday.
Updated: June 4, 2026, 2:34 PM IST
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Mohammed Siraj is set to lead the Indian bowling attack against Afghanistan in one-off Test. (Photo: IANS)
India vs Afghanistan 2026 One-off Test: Team India are getting ready for Afghanistan for just the second time in their Test history and for the first time after 8 years as the two sides face off in the one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, stating on Saturday. On a day on which, former captain Virat Kohli was ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, Indians received a big boost with the fitness of lead pacer Mohammed Siraj.
The Test match comes on the back of two-month long Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season and Team India are dealing with plenty of injury and fitness concerns post that. India’s pacer bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the one-off Test considering his workload and since the game is not part of the World Test Championships (WTC) 2025-27.
The selectors had considered resting Gujarat Titans pacer Siraj as well, since he turned out in 17 games in the IPL 2026 season – including the final on Sunday against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. There was speculation that Siraj could be rested for the one-off Test but Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate revealed that Siraj is fully fit and raring to go.
“Mohammed Siraj is fit and good to go. As far as two new spinners (Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey) are concerned, there is small chance that both will play. We haven’t finalised who among the two will play alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar,” Ryan ten Doeschate told the media in Mullanpur on Thursday.
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Former Netherlands and Kolkata Knight Riders cricketer Ten Doeschate revealed that player injuries ahead of the one-off Test are being dealt on a ‘case-by-case’ basis. “I think it’s a very individualistic thing. With the with the India hat on, we want the players to be at their absolute best when they’re on international duty and that’s a case of managing it on a case-by-case basis. We also appreciate that it’s a big time of year for those players. The IPL is a showpiece domestic competition.
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Ready and Excited for Test match action! #TeamIndia | #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/5VHZwAYx6g— BCCI (@BCCI) June 4, 2026
“So, it’s striking a balance between those two things, and I think with the workload guys have had playing in the last IPL, or certainly a large proportion of the contracted players, I think we’ve done fairly well out of it. You know, injuries happen, you can’t protect guys by not playing them, but we certainly need to identify the key parts of the international schedule and make sure our best players are not injured, but also physically at their peak when we need them most,” Ten Doeschate added.
‘Official communication will come on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’
The Team India assistant coach refused to comment on the availability of former India captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which will begin in Dharamshala on June 13.
“Official communication will come on that. You know, it’s obviously big news when it’s someone like Virat or Rohit, but the same protocols will be in place where we’ll assess the fitness of those guys, and we’ve got a few days now to to decide whether they are fit enough to play and and be part of the squad, and make adjustments accordingly. But I’m sure some official communication will come through as soon as the medical team has confirmed,” Ten Doeschate said.
