India will host Afghanistan for a one-off Test in New Chandigarh, Punjab, in early June. The game isn’t on anyone’s mind right now. The T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals and final will be played this week, and just after, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will commence.
But it holds significance for some. Apart from Afghanistan, who don’t get to play against big nations, several Indian players who either feature in only Test cricket, are on the fringes, or haven’t gotten to don the whites, will be eagerly waiting.
Rest Jasprit Bumrah against Afghanistan
It’s also the perfect time for the selectors to test the bench strength. Against an up-and-coming Test team like Afghanistan, India doesn’t have to play Jasprit Bumrah. He wasn’t rested against the West Indies in 2025, but it’s the perfect time to give him a break after 4 months of non-stop cricket.
Mohammed Siraj could lead the pace attack with another fast bowler coming in for Bumrah. But who will it be? Harshit Rana, who’s currently out with an injury; Prasidh Krishna; and Akash Deep are all in and around. Prasidh wasn’t part of India’s last Test series against South Africa, while Akash was selected but didn’t play.
Time to test Auqib Nabi?
These are the 3 clear options. But there could be a fourth. Ranji Trophy 2025-26 winners and player of the tournament, Auqib Nabi. The fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir took 60 wickets in 10 matches, including a 5-wicket haul in the final against Karnataka.
He’s been knocking on the door for a while. Even in the 2024-25 season, Nabi took 44 wickets in 8 matches. But for whatever reason, the selectors haven’t picked him for the Duleep Trophy or India A. The India vs Afghanistan one-off Test could be the perfect time to test him.
With the India tour of New Zealand coming up in October-November, India needs fast bowlers. In England, we saw Akash and Bumrah struggle with injuries. Even Anshul Kamboj wasn’t fully fit. Granted, it won’t be a 5-match Test series, but you need several options.
To test the waters, Nabi could be tried against Afghanistan. Some felt that his speed wasn’t up for international cricket. But KL Rahul and Karun Nair, both of whom he dismissed in Hubli, will tell you otherwise. On a placid pitch, he made the ball talk. And now, it could be in the scheme of things for India’s Test team.
India’s squad for South Africa Test series
Shubman Gill (ruled out with injury), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Akash Deep
India vs Afghanistan one-off Test: Perfect opportunity for BCCI to test Auqib Nabi? Inside Sport India.
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