India to host Afghanistan for one Test, three ODIs in June
New Delhi, March 2
Afghanistan men's cricket team will tour India for a Test and three One-Day International against the Men in Blue from June 6 to June 20, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on Monday.
In a media release, the BCCI released the itinerary for the Afghanistan men's team tour of India.
The one-off India vs Afghanistan Test is scheduled in New Chandigarh from June 6 to June 10, 2026. The ODI series will begin on June 14 in Dharamshala, with the second ODI slated to take place on June 17 in Lucknow, followed by the final ODI in Chennai on June 20. All ODIs are scheduled to start at 1:30 PM IST.
Team India, currently in action in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, have qualified for the semifinals of the tournament. The Suryakumar Yadav-led Men in Blue secured their place in the final four after registering a five-wicket win over two-time T20 WC champions West Indies in both teams' do-or-die Super 8s clash on Sunday at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The match was headlined by opener Sanu Samson's heroic 50-ball 97* that guided India to chase down the 196 runs target after being 41/2 in 4.3 overs earlier in the chase.
In the match, India won the toss and elected to field first. Roston Chase (40 in 25 balls, with five fours and a six) and skipper Shai Hope (32 in 33 balls, with three fours and a six) put on an opening stand of 68 runs for first wicket, but WI slipped to 119/4 in 14.1 overs, despite a cameo by Shimron Hetmyer (27 in 12 balls, with a four and two sixes).
It was the pair of Jason Holder (37* in 22 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Powell (34* in 19 balls, with three fours and two sixes) who put on a fiery stand of 76 runs in 35 balls, taking WI to 195/4 in 20 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah (2/36 in four overs) was India's leading bowler, with Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya dropping a spell of 1/40 in four overs each.
In the run-chase, India was reduced to 41/2 within the powerplay. It was a 58-run stand between Samson (97* off 50 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (18), which brought the chase back on track. Then Sanju went on to stitch partnerships with Tilak Varma (27 in 15 balls), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dube (8*), taking India to a five-wicket win.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting venues! Dharamshala and Chennai are fantastic for ODIs. But a one-off Test in June? Hope the Chandigarh weather holds up, it can get quite hot and humid.
After the T20 WC high, this feels like a slightly low-key series. But it's important to give chances to our bench strength. Would love to see some new faces get a game, especially in the ODIs.
Sanju Samson's knock was pure fire! 🔥 Hope he carries that form into this series. He deserves a long run in the team now. Also, good to see the schedule is not too cramped for the players.
With all due respect to Afghanistan, who are a talented side, this series feels a bit like a filler. Wish BCCI would schedule more Tests against top sides like Australia or England at home. Our Test calendar needs more marquee contests.
Afghanistan has Rashid Khan, Mujeeb, their spinners are world class. It won't be a walkover, especially in the shorter formats. Good opportunity for our batters to tackle quality spin.
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