Team India kick off red-ball preparations ahead of Afghanistan Test
New Chandigarh, June 3
Team India hit the ground running as the Shubman Gill-led side got their red-ball preparations underway ahead of their one-off Test against Afghanistan, which is slated to begin on Saturday at New Chandigarh.
Team India posted a video on their X handle, showcasing the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and KL Rahul, among others, being involved in a full-on training session, with head coach Gautam Gambhir overseeing his men.
"Team India hits the nets as the red ball grind gets underway ahead of the #INDvAFG Test," reads the caption of the post.
The Afghanistan Test will mark India Men's first red-ball assignment of the year, coming less than a week after the conclusion of IPL 2026. After the Test, India will face Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series from June 14 to June 20.
Gill is set to lead the side in both formats, with KL Rahul appointed vice-captain in the longest format, replacing Rishabh Pant. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer has been named vice-captain for the 50-over format.
Notably, former India leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule joined the men's national team as spin-bowling coach on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old will oversee India's spin department across formats. Bahutule joins the Indian camp after a stint with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, where he served as the franchise's spin-bowling coach. As a player, Bahutule represented India between 1997 and 2003, featuring in two Test matches and eight One-Day Internationals. Despite limited opportunities at the international level, he enjoyed a highly successful domestic career spanning nearly two decades. The leg-spinner claimed 630 wickets in 188 first-class matches and picked up 197 wickets in 143 List A games.
In his new role, Bahutule will work alongside head coach Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, fast-bowling coach Morne Morkel, fielding coach T Dilip and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
India's Test squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good to see preparations starting early, but I wish they'd given more time between IPL and international duties. Players must be exhausted. Also, why is Pant not vice-captain anymore? He did well in Tests. Bit of a strange decision 🤔
Class move bringing in Sairaj Bahutule as spin coach! 🎯 The guy has 630 first-class wickets, that's insane experience. Hope he can help Kuldeep and the others develop some variations. Tests in India are all about spinners dominating.
Interesting to see Washington Sundar in the squad. He's been in good form with the bat recently. Could be a handy all-rounder if the pitch assists spin. But I'm a bit worried about our pace attack - only Siraj and Prasidh are experienced.
Happy to see Devdutt Padikkal back in the Test setup! 🏏 He's been working hard in domestic cricket. And Gurnoor Brar getting a call-up - that's a nice surprise. Pakistan mein toh koi domestic performance bhi nahi dekhte, but we give chances to our youngsters. Well done BCCI!
One-off Test against Afghanistan seems a bit odd scheduling. Why not a proper series? But anyway, good to see red-ball cricket after all the IPL noise. Hope the boys play with patience and respect the longer format. Test cricket needs more love in India 🙏
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