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The dawn of a caller Test play carries an abiding allure. The maroonish-red hue of the marque caller ball, the expanse of lush greenish gleaming nether azure skies, the players stretching each sinew successful creamy achromatic flannels, each enrich the unsocial rhythms of the game’s oldest format.
After a dense fare of T20 cricket successful this portion of the world, the one-off Test betwixt India and Afghanistan from Saturday (May 5, 2026) volition anticipation to showcase immoderate of these good aspects. The venue volition beryllium the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, which is poised to go the country’s 31st Test centre.
On the look of it, of course, an duty against Afghanistan for Shubman Gill & Co. should beryllium a cosy precursor to much gruelling challenges. It isn’t adjacent portion of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. But for India’s existent Test outfit, reeling from a bid decision to South Africa past November, the request to acceptable things close successful this mentation is pressing.
Particularly astatine home, which was an impregnable bastion for 12 agelong years, India has conspicuously floundered successful caller times. The whitewash by New Zealand successful a three-Test bid successful 2024 precipitated the downturn. In the existent WTC cycle, India is sixth successful the standings.
But caput manager Gautam Gambhir doesn’t rather judge each is mislaid successful the quest to marque the WTC last adjacent year. Two Tests each against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and a blockbuster five-match bid astatine location against Australia await aft facing Afghanistan. “Till you person the accidental to suffice for the WTC final, you are ever optimistic,” Gambhir stressed connected Friday (May 5).
Fuelling the coach’s content is the immense array of talent. In this squad, amidst the much established faces, the likes of Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar bring spark and novelty.
Not each of these volition acceptable into the XI, but Sai Sudharsan seems acceptable to proceed astatine No. 3. “Honestly, Sai Sudharsan hasn’t got a just chance. He started his Test vocation successful England, which we each cognize is not the easiest place,” reasoned Gambhir.
The different vacant spot meriting statement involves the uncapped left-arm rotation duo of Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey.
In Afghanistan’s case, immoderate of its starring white-ball stars, including ace leggie Rashid Khan, are missing. But for Hashmatullah Shahidi’s men, who person played conscionable 12 Tests successful 8 years, the accidental to prosecute successful India’s Test play should beryllium capable to spur the competitory juices.
The teams (from): India: Shubman Gill (Capt.), K.L. Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, and Dhruv Jurel (wk).
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Capt.), Abdul Malik, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rahmanullah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangeyalia Kharote, Rahmat Shah, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Bilal Sami, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, and Ziaur Rahman.
Match starts astatine 9.30 a.m.
