With the intense action of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season officially wrapped up, the focus shifts back to international red-ball cricket. India is all set to host Afghanistan for an exciting multi-format bilateral series starting with a historic, standalone one-off Test match.
This match marks only the second time these two nations will face each other in the game’s ultimate format, coming nearly eight years after Afghanistan played their inaugural Test match on Indian soil back in 2018.
Under a brand-new leadership group for both teams, this standalone battle promises to be a fascinating contest of strategy, skill, and subcontinental endurance.
India vs Afghanistan Match Details
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Match: India vs Afghanistan, Only Test
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Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026 – Wednesday, June 10, 2026
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Time: 09:30 AM IST
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Venue: Maharaja Singh PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh, India
A New Era of Leadership
Both teams are entering this match carrying significant changes within their core leadership groups. For India, opening batsman Shubman Gill has officially been named captain across both the red-ball and white-ball formats for this cycle. While icons like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been rested for the Test segment to manage workloads, they will join the squad later for the three-match ODI leg.
This gives Gill a fantastic opportunity to showcase his tactical acumen alongside vice-captain KL Rahul.
On the other hand, Afghanistan enters a fresh chapter under newly appointed head coach Richard Pybus. Pybus took over the reins from Jonathan Trott following the conclusion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Led on the field by their seasoned skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, the visitors will look to dust off their previous red-ball vulnerabilities and put up a gritty, competitive performance against a formidable Indian line-up.
Pitch and Conditions
The Maharaja Singh PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh is renowned for offering a well-balanced surface. Early on days one and two, pacers can expect a bit of lateral movement and carry. However, as a traditional subcontinental Test match progresses, the pitch is expected to dry out significantly, allowing world-class spinners from both sides to dictate terms during the final three days of play.
Where to Watch in India
Indian cricket fans can catch every single ball of this historic Test match live across multiple platforms:
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On TV: The match will be broadcasted live on the Star Sports Network.
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Live Streaming: Digital viewers can stream the entire test match live on the JioHotstar app and website.
Team Squads
India Test Squad
- Shubman Gill (C)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- KL Rahul (VC)
- Sai Sudharsan
- Rishabh Pant (WK)
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohd. Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
- Manav Suthar
- Gurnoor Brar
- Harsh Dubey
- Dhruv Jurel (WK)
Afghanistan Test Squad
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (C)
- Abdul Malik
- Sediqullah Atal
- Rahmat Shah
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Rahmanullah Zadran
- Afsar Zazai (WK)
- Ikram Alikhil (WK)
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Sharafudin Ashraf
- Nangyal Kharotai
- Qais Ahmad
- Bilal Sami
- Zia Sharifi
- Saleem Safi
Winning Probabilities
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India Win: 87.5%
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Draw: 6.5%
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Afghanistan Win: 6%
Conclusion: What to Expect?
India enters this game as the overwhelming favorites on paper due to their vast experience and supreme home record. However, Afghanistan possesses a spin arsenal capable of rattling any top-order if conditions tilt in their favor. For India, it is an ideal platform to test their deep bench strength, blood promising young talents like Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar, and set a robust foundation for the rest of the cricketing summer.
Lucky Raina is a complete cricket writer chasing corporate dreams by day and cricket stories by night. Once a promising Under 16 cricketer, life took him down a different pitch but the love for the game never left.
