India have opted to rest Jasprit Bumrah for next month’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, handing the fast bowler time to recharge after an underwhelming IPL. Shubman Gill continues as captain, while KL Rahul replaces Rishabh Pant as deputy in the 15-man squad.
Gill’s men will be India’s first Test line-up since the 2-0 home defeat to South Africa last November. Left-arm spin-all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, together with seamer Akash Deep, also drop out. In their place come three uncapped players: left-arm spinner-bat Manav Suthar, quick Gurnoor Brar and another left-arm spinner, Harsh Dubey.
India’s ODI squad for the three-match series that follows the Test features further new faces. Brar and Dubey stay on, joined by tall right-arm seamer Prince Yadav. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya return, while Dhruv Jurel, Ayush Badoni, Pant, Jadeja, Harshit Rana and Mohammed Siraj miss out following January’s 2-1 home defeat to New Zealand.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar stressed that Pant’s omission from the 50-over side does not threaten his red-ball future. “Obviously, he is not part of the ODI squad at the moment,” Agarkar said. “We want him to become the best Test player that he has always been. I don’t think there is any concern with his spot in the Test team. I think he is one of our main batters in that line-up. [He] had a really good tour of England till he got injured. So, I am sure he would like a few more runs. But he has always been very good in Test cricket. At this point, yes, we have gone with two different [wicketkeeping] options in one-day cricket. But Test cricket, he remains one of our main players.”
Jadeja picked up a late-season niggle in the IPL, while Rana and Akash Deep sat out the entire tournament through injury, paving the way for fresh blood.
Brar, 25, has just 18 first-class and nine List A appearances but stood out for Punjab in last season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy with 11 wickets in eight matches. He also topped the wicket charts, with eight, when India A hosted Australia A in Lucknow last September.
Suthar, 23, offers a deeper first-class résumé: 129 wickets at 25.76 from 29 matches and regular India A experience across formats. His recent highlights include a five-for and an unbeaten 56 for Rest of India in the Irani Cup, followed by a solid showing against South Africa A in Bengaluru.
The lone Test will be played at New Chandigarh from 6–10 June, followed by ODIs in Dharamsala (14 June), Lucknow (17 June) and Chennai (20 June). The sides have met in the format only once before: India’s two-day victory by an innings and 262 runs in Bengaluru back in 2018.
Squads
Test: Shubman Gill (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-capt), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah (rested), Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar.
ODI: Rohit Sharma (capt), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh.
India’s selection panel has kept one eye on immediate fitness and another on the long road to the 2027 World Cup. The next fortnight will show how well the blend of established names and new energy stands up against a spirited Afghanistan side.
