India will look to answer a few important questions about their Test combination when they take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test in New Chandigarh starting Saturday. While Afghanistan arrive as underdogs, the hosts will be keen not to repeat the mistakes that led to a 0-2 home series defeat against South Africa last year.
Previous Encounter
The last time these two teams met in a Test was in 2018 in Bengaluru. Afghanistan lost all 20 wickets inside two days, in what was their first-ever Test. Ten wickets fell between lunch and tea on the second day, while the remaining ten were taken between tea and stumps as India wrapped up the match.
This time, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi will hope his side can put up a stronger fight against an Indian team that is still trying to settle on its best combination.
Experience Gap
The gap in experience between the two teams remains significant. Since Afghanistan's first Test against India in 2018, they have played only 11 more Tests. During the same period, India have played 67 Test matches.
India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant alone has featured in 49 Tests during that time. In fact, Pant had not even made his Test debut when Afghanistan last faced India in the format.
Squad Continuity
From the Indian squad that played in Bengaluru in 2018, only KL Rahul remains part of the current Test side. For Afghanistan, Shahidi and Rahmat Shah are the only players from that match still in the team.
Afghanistan's current batting unit has a combined total of nine Test centuries, while the present Indian squad has accumulated 39 Test hundreds.
Preparation and Challenge
Afghanistan prepared for the game with a training camp in Jalalabad, but converting preparation into performance against a stronger and more experienced Indian side will be their biggest challenge.
Match Details
When is the India vs Afghanistan one-off Test?
June 6, 2026 (Saturday)
Where can fans watch the match?
TV broadcast: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: JioHotstar
India's Likely Playing XI
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- KL Rahul (vice-captain)
- Sai Sudharsan
- Shubman Gill (captain)
- Rishabh Pant
- Washington Sundar
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Harsh Dubey / Manav Suthar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
Afghanistan Likely Playing XI
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain)
- Afsar Zazai (WK)
- Abdul Malik
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Rahmat Shah
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Sharafuddin Ashraf
- Ziaur Rahman Sharifi
- Qais Ahmad
- Bilal Sami
- Mohammad Saleem Safi
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