India begin a one-off Test against Afghanistan at Mullanpur as clear favourites, though not necessarily on an easy path. With Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja rested, the management is using the five-day match, from 6 to 10 June and outside the World Test Championship cycle, to test its bench strength and give red-ball exposure to emerging players.
Shubman Gill captains and arrives in superb form. In 2025 he scored 983 runs in nine Tests at an average above 70, including four centuries as captain in a bilateral series, and his 269 at Edgbaston stands out as an overseas innings. KL Rahul, now vice-captain, is expected to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Sai Sudharsan at three and Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy to follow. Kuldeep Yadav leads a spin attack that may be important as the pitch wears, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna sharing the new ball.
Afghanistan come off a heavy defeat to Zimbabwe in their previous Test. Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi anchor their batting, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Azmatullah Omarzai adding aggression and balance. Without Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in Tests, Qais Ahmad’s leg-spin carries extra responsibility.
