Sai Sudharsan is set to be picked ahead of Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy in Team India line-up for one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur on Saturday.
Updated: June 5, 2026, 5:36 PM IST
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Team India captain Shubman Gill (left) and Rishabh Pant at a training session in Mullanpur on Friday. (Photo: PTI)
IND vs AFG 2025 One-off Test: Team India will face off against Afghanistan is a Test match for the first time after 8 years as the two Asian sides will compete in a one-off Test starting at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, on Saturday. Shubman Gill’s side are likely to have new look about them as this game is not part of the World Test Championships (WTC) 2025-27 calendar.
With no WTC points on offer, the hosts have decided to rest some of their key senior players like pacer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Siraj will be leading the bowling attack along side pacer Prasidh Krishna.
The biggest debate will, however, centre around the number three batting position which has been volatile since the retirement of Cheteshwar Pujara. But head coach Gautam Gambhir cleared the debate around the number 3 position for the one-off Test with Gujarat Titans teammate of Gill – Sai Sudharsan – pipping Devdutt Padikkal for the nod in this game.
“Honestly, Sai hasn’t got a fair chance. He’s only played what, handful of Test matches. And he started his Test career in England, which we all know is not the easiest place. He’s had a phenomenal run in IPL (722 runs) as well and we’re going to give him a fair chance. I still believe that he hasn’t got a fair chance,” Gambhir said about Sudharsan batting in the number three position in Mullanpur.
Also Read | Not Devdutt Padikkal, star player from Shubman Gill’s GT set to SELECTED for one-off Test vs Afghanistan
The other major debate in the line-up will centre around the replacement for Jadeja in the line-up. India have picked a couple of left-arm spinners for this match – Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey – both of whom have never played international cricket. Kuldeep Yadav will definitely be the lead spinner in the side with Washington Sundar playing the role of second tweaker.
“Look, to a certain extent they are similar, but also a little different as well…you also see that the release points, you also see what someone gets off the wicket and the trajectories and everything. And who’s probably more suited to red ball cricket. And this probably is the only Test match where we can think of or look at someone who could be a fourth spinner. Because after this we go to Sri Lanka and we might have to carry four spinners as well there,” Gambhir said.
There will, however, be no place for Nitish Kumar Reddy in the line-up, considering the slow and dry nature of track in Mullanpur. India’s bowling attack is likely to feature 2 pacers, 2 spinners and one spin-bowling all-rounder in Sundar.
Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Afghanistan, on the other hand, could also have a couple of debutants in their line-up. They will be missing the services of star leg-spinner Rashid Khan while experienced T20 players Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai have played one Test each.
Middle-order batter Rahmanullah is set to be handed a debut cap in the middle-order along with spin bowling all-rounder Nangeyalia Kharote.
It takes more than just skill to survive the ultimate format
#TeamIndia Head Coach @GautamGambhir on the talent pool and what it takes to succeed in Test Cricket ️#INDvAFG pic.twitter.com/EbQz2qRRJR
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 5, 2026
India vs Afghanistan 2026 One-off Test Predicted Playing 11
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudhrasan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey/Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah, Afsar Zazai (wk), Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Qais Ahmad, Ziaur Rahman
