New Chandigarh, June 5 (IANS) Less than a week after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 ended, Shubman Gill’s India are gearing up to return to traditional cricket when they host Afghanistan in a one-off Test at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh starting on Saturday.

Although this match does not count towards the World Test Championship cycle, India has stated they will treat it as seriously as any other Test.

This match is India’s first Test since their series against South Africa in November. It poses a unique challenge for a squad still adjusting to franchise cricket. Eight players from the 15-man squad participated in the IPL final, leaving little time to shift from white-ball cricket to the patience and discipline required in the longest format.

For Gill, this match presents another chance to assert his authority as India’s Test captain while leading a team in transition. The hosts will play without veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who is rested. With Ravichandran Ashwin retired, India will play a home Test without both stalwarts for the first time since 2010.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed claims that the match holds less importance because it is outside the World Test Championship. “A Test match is a Test match. I know people say this isn’t part of the World Test Championship, but for me, it is a Test match. We need to win for the country because you don’t differentiate between Test matches, whether they are part of the World Test Championship or not. That is why we will try to field our full-strength side for this Test,” Gambhir said.

This match is also important for the venue itself. Until last week, the New PCA Stadium showcased IPL colours as one of Punjab Kings’ home grounds and hosted the Eliminator and Qualifier 2. Now it is preparing for its first Test, becoming the 31st venue to host a men’s Test in India.

India’s team management has confirmed that Sai Sudharsan will continue at No. 3, showing their confidence in him as a long-term solution in that crucial position. The match also marks an important milestone for Rishabh Pant, who is set to play his 50th Test. Only MS Dhoni and Syed Kirmani have played in more Tests as wicketkeepers for India.

With Ashwin retired and Jadeja unavailable, much of the spin workload will fall on Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist-spinner had a challenging IPL campaign, taking just 10 wickets in 12 matches. However, he has used the break since Delhi Capitals’ early exit to regain his form with the red ball.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan arrive aiming to showcase how far they have come since their first Test appearance against India in Bengaluru in 2018. In that match, they lost in under two days by an innings, but captain Hashmatullah Shahidi believes his team is better prepared this time.

The visitors are missing star leg-spinner Rashid Khan, but they still have an experienced core led by Shahidi and Rahmat Shah. Rahmat is Afghanistan’s top Test batter, holding records for runs, centuries, and fifty-plus scores in the format. He enters this match needing just 30 runs to become the first Afghanistan player to reach 1,000 Test runs.

The Test will also mark the start of a new era for Afghanistan under head coach Richard Pybus, who expects conditions to change significantly over the five days.

“This is a new stadium, it is a new wicket. I think the Indian coaching staff will be as curious to see how the wicket plays as we are. It looks like a good cricket wicket, but I have no doubt the heat will pull moisture out quickly. It has a solid covering of grass, but will it hold together? Spinners will play a major role in the game, even though it looks pretty green at the moment,” Pybus said.

The black-soil surface is predicted to be good for batting early on, although rising June temperatures, expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius, could change its nature as the game progresses. Such conditions are likely to favour spinners and will require endurance and patience.

When: Saturday, June 6, 9:30 AM IST

Where: New PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh

Where to watch: Jiostar and Star Sports Network

Squads:

India: Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Dhruv Jurel, Harsh Dubey

Afghanistan: Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Afsar Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Qais Ahmad, Ziaur Rahman.

–IANS

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