Sports

IIE DIGITAL DESK  ;  May 19: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian squad for the upcoming Afghanistan series, which includes a one-off Test match and a three-match ODI series. The announcement brings several surprises, with new players getting opportunities and some senior stars being rested. while the ODI squad sees the expected comebacks of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer.

BCCI has included newcomers Gurnur Brar, Manav Suthar, and Harsh Dubey, all set to make their international debuts. Meanwhile, senior players such as Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested. Leadership adjustments have also been made: Shubman Gill will captain the Test team, while KL Rahul takes over as vice-captain, replacing Rishabh Pant.

The ODI series will be led by Shubman Gill, with Shreyas Iyer serving as vice-captain. Key players in the ODI squad include Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan. Similar to the Test squad, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj will not feature in the ODI matches. New faces in the ODI side include Gurnur Brar, Harsh Dubey, and Prince Yadav.

The one-off Test match is scheduled from June 6 to June 10 in New Chandigarh. With the IPL concluding on May 31, players will have only a short one-week window to join the national camp, raising questions about their fitness and readiness following a packed IPL schedule. As this Test match is not part of the World Test Championship, BCCI has taken the opportunity to provide international exposure to newer players.

The ODI series will begin on June 14 and continue until June 20, with matches set to be played in Dharamshala, Lucknow, and Chennai. This series also serves as preparation for India ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Indian Squad for One-Off Test vs Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnur Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhrubajyoti Jurel

Indian Squad for ODI Series vs Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnur Brar, Harsh Dubey