India opts to bat against Afghanistan in one-off Test; Manav Suthar makes debut

India won the toss and elected to bat against Afghanistan in the one-off four-day Test at Mullanpur. Skipper Shubman Gill handed a debut to Manav Suthar as India began preparations for a demanding Test season featuring several crucial assignments.

New Chandigarh: India won the toss and elected to bat against Afghanistan in the one-off four-day Test here at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday.

While the game does not contribute World Test Championship (WTC) points, it is viewed as an important step in India’s preparation for a challenging Test season that includes series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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The match marks a transitional phase for Indian cricket, with key senior players absent. Led by coach Gautam Gambhir, the team focuses on nurturing younger players and giving them extended chances. This approach influences selection choices, like favouring Sai Sudharsan at No. 3 over Devdutt Padikkal and handing Manav Suthar his maiden Test cap.

India’s IPL success reflects the country’s white-ball talent, but the upcoming week will test players’ red-ball skills, patience, and endurance as they play a Test match after a six-month gap. The Afghanistan Test is a chance to reinforce standards and build momentum before tougher challenges.

For Afghanistan, the match represents a significant milestone. Under new head coach Richard Pybus, the team will hope to continue their growth beyond white-ball cricket. Having played relatively few Tests since gaining Full Member status, Afghanistan sees the fixture as an important chance to strengthen its red-ball culture, gain experience, and showcase its progress on the international stage.

Winning the toss, India skipper Shubman Gill said, “We are gonna bat first. Very hot and humid. It’s going to get slower and lower. Very special, I grew up playing here. It’s a great privilege to captain here. The preparation has been good. Got a good couple of days of sleep. Nine Test matches after this, we’ve got quite a few home Test matches. It’s about getting the combination right. We’ve got Manav Suthar making his debut.”

Meanwhile, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi stated, “We wanted to bat as well, as the wicket looks good. We need to play good cricket. We are ready for the challenge. We like challenges. We are well prepared for this game. We had a good preparation camp in Kabul. (On Richard Pybus) He’s good, he’s also a very positive person, his mindset is positive. We have three seamers and two spinning combinations.. We have one debutant – Nangeyalia Kharote.”

Playing XIs:

India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad Saleem.