India make red-ball switch for Afghanistan challenge in New Chandigarh’s maiden Test
The Big Picture: Test Cricket Comes to New Chandigarh
Until last week, the New PCA Stadium was bathed in vibrant red, serving as one of the Punjab Kings’ two home grounds for IPL 2026, hosting high-stakes matches like the Eliminator and Qualifier 2. However, ahead of the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan—the venue’s first-ever—the stadium has shed its colorful T20 elements. It is as if the ground itself has donned classic Test whites to welcome the longest format of the game. For the hosts, this historic occasion sees India make red-ball switch for Afghanistan challenge in New Chandigarh’s maiden Test match, marking a highly anticipated return to red-ball cricket.
India will be wearing their whites after a significant hiatus, having last played a Test match in November against South Africa. The timing of this fixture introduces an extra layer of difficulty: it begins just six days after the conclusion of the grueling IPL final. Historically, the only previous instance of such a rapid turnaround occurred in 2010, when the Indian team traveled directly to the West Indies for the T20 World Cup and opened their campaign against Afghanistan.
This time, transitioning from the white ball to the red ball presents a formidable technical and physical test. Eight of the 15 squad members were actively involved in the IPL final, meaning they must rapidly reset their body clocks, recalibrate their mindsets, and adjust their techniques to the demands of five-day cricket. Despite this match sitting outside the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that the team will not treat the fixture lightly.
Afghanistan’s Evolving Test Journey
For Afghanistan, this match marks their 13th Test since acquiring Test status and debuting in the format in 2018—a debut that also came against India in Bengaluru. In that inaugural match, the Afghan side suffered a heavy defeat, losing inside two days by an innings. Six years later, they return with more experience, though they will be without their talismanic legspinner Rashid Khan. Despite this major absence, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi remains confident of presenting a much stronger, more competitive performance. This match also represents the first official assignment for their newly appointed head coach, Richard Pybus.
Meanwhile, New Chandigarh is set to become India’s 31st men’s Test venue. Although it is a historic milestone for the region, the pre-match buildup has felt somewhat muted. Despite affordable ticket pricing—with five-day passes starting at just Rs. 250—only about 1,700 tickets had been sold by Wednesday evening.
Form Guide
India: L, L, W, W, W (last five Tests, most recent first)
Afghanistan: L, W, D, L, L
In the Spotlight: Kuldeep Yadav and Rahmat Shah
With R Ashwin retired, Ravindra Jadeja rested, and Axar Patel dropped, Kuldeep Yadav steps up as India’s lead spinner. He will likely lead a spin attack featuring Washington Sundar and either Harsh Dubey or Manav Suthar. This puts the bulk of the bowling responsibility squarely on Kuldeep’s shoulders. Although he endured a challenging IPL campaign, taking ten wickets in 12 games at an expensive economy rate of 10.29, Delhi Capitals’ early exit from the tournament allowed him crucial extra days to train and regain his feel for the red ball.
For the visitors, Rahmat Shah remains the cornerstone of the batting lineup. Renowned as Afghanistan’s most technically accomplished batter, Rahmat holds the national records for the most runs, most centuries, and most fifty-plus scores in Test cricket. Alongside captain Shahidi, he is also one of only two double-centurions for his country in this format. Rahmat excels at anchoring the innings, and with opener Ibrahim Zadran unavailable, his ability to absorb pressure will be absolutely critical to Afghanistan’s hopes.
Team News and Probable Lineups
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that young talent B Sai Sudharsan will continue at the crucial No. 3 position, meaning Devdutt Padikkal will have to wait for his opportunity. India will debut one of their two selected left-arm spin-allrounders, Harsh Dubey or Manav Suthar. Pace-bowling allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is unlikely to feature, as team management believes his style of seam bowling may not offer enough utility on this particular pitch.
India Probable XI: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudhrasan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Harsh Dubey/Manav Suthar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna.
Afghanistan are also considering handing Test debuts to middle-order batter Rahmanullah and left-arm spin-allrounder Nangeyalia Kharote to bolster their balance.
Afghanistan Probable XI: 1 Sediqullah Atal, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Rahmanullah, 7 Afsar Zazai (wk), 8 Sharafuddin Ashraf, 9 Nangeyalia Kharote, 10 Qais Ahmad, 11 Ziaur Rahman.
Stats and Trivia
- A Rare Home Test: The last time India played a home Test match without both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja was in 2010 against New Zealand in Nagpur—prior to either player making their Test debut.
- Milestone for Pant: This fixture marks Rishabh Pant’s 50th Test appearance. Only MS Dhoni (90) and Syed Kirmani (88) have represented India in more Tests as dedicated wicketkeepers.
- Run Chases: Indian captain Shubman Gill requires 157 runs to reach the 3,000-run milestone in Test cricket.
- Historical Landmark: Rahmat Shah is just 30 runs away from becoming the very first batsman from Afghanistan to reach 1,000 runs in Test cricket.
- Domestic Form: Left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf enters the match in superb red-ball form, having finished as the leading wicket-taker in the 2025 Ahmad Shah Abdali Trophy with 36 wickets in six matches at an outstanding average of 17.11.
Pitch and Conditions
The match will be played on a traditional black-soil pitch, which curators expect to favor batters early on. However, with June being the peak of summer in India, playing conditions will be extremely grueling. Afternoon temperatures are projected to hover around 40°C, which will test the physical endurance of both teams.
Key Quotes
“A Test match is a Test match. I know people talk about this not being part of the World Test Championship cycle but for me, it is a Test match and we need to go out there and win for the country because you don’t differentiate between Test matches, whether they are part of the World Test Championship or not. That is one of the reasons why we are going to try to play our full-strength side even in this Test.” — India head coach Gautam Gambhir
“This is a new stadium, it is a new wicket. I think the Indian coaching staff and leadership will be as interested to see how the wicket plays as we are. It looks like a good cricket wicket but I have no doubt the heat is going to pull moisture out very quickly. It has got a good covering of grass but will it continue to hold it together? So spinners will play a major part in the game even though it looks pretty green at the moment.” — Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus
