India Face Afghanistan in a One-Off at Their New Home in Chandigarh

India’s 2026 red-ball season will start with a one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium from June 6. This match will be only the second Test meeting between the two countries; also in Bengaluru, India won their first (247 runs) in 2018.

The contest has an extra significance for India as it embarks on a new era following the appointment of skipper Shubman Gill. Multiple senior players including Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested while KL Rahul will be the vice-captain. This match will also give the younger generation a chance to cement their place in the Test structure.

With their depth and the home conditions, India are heavy favourites heading into the match. Batters: Gill, Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Sai Sudharsan will take care of the batting unit; Mohammed Siraj is likely to be heading the pace attack. On a pitch that is expected to help slow bowlers as the game goes deeper, Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin department.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, have come here hoping to showcase how much they have improved as a side in longer format. The visitors, captained by Hashmatullah Shahidi, will depend on seasoned stalwarts Rahmat Shah and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. But Afghanistan are without star leg-spinner Rashid Khan and batter Ibrahim Zadran, who have been rested for the tour.

The tourists have regularly requested more Test opportunities — they qualified for Test status on the back of strong performances in recent years but haven’t played many matches within the format. Last week Shahidi stressed the need for Afghanistan to play more red-ball fixtures regularly in order to develop as a Test nation.

However, the match is an important one for both sides and will not have any bearing on the ICC World Test Championship standings. For India, it would be the beginning of another cycle and for Afghanistan they have one of the strongest home teams to challenge and build on their Test foundation. The five-day affair would be held here from June 6-10.

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