The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan is all set to get underway on June 6 in New Chandigarh. Led by captain Shubman Gill, this red-ball fixture serves as a key transition for the Indian squad, seeking to address concerns exposed by their 0-2 home whitewash against South Africa last year.
The selection committee has rested pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for this solitary Test match, which isn’t part of the 2025-27 WTC cycle. Uncapped players like Gurnoor Brar, Manav Suthar, and Harsh Dubey have received maiden Test call-ups.
With barely a few days remaining for this game, legendary Anil Kumble has advised the Indian team management to field two spinners, backing Kuldeep Yadav as an automatic choice while also making a strong case for Harsh.
While he includes Nitish Kumar Reddy in his playing XI, Kumble cautioned that the captain has previously underutilized the all-rounder’s bowling capabilities.
"Two spinners for sure. One of them, Harsh Dubey, and then Kuldeep. Kuldeep is there. So you need to pick Kuldeep ahead of anyone else. So you pick Kuldeep and Harsh Dubey as the two spinners," Kumble said on JioStar.
"I feel Nitish Kumar Reddy will play. The problem has been that he has been the fourth bowler, and the captain doesn't look at him at all. If he is the third bowler, hopefully, he will get a bit of a bowl as well. That's something you need to look at. It can't just be about his batting. He is an all-rounder. So look at him as a bowler too," he added.
Kumble also advocated for uncapped pacer Gurnoor’s inclusion in the playing XI at the expense of Prasidh Krishna.
"If Gurnoor has been picked, there is a reason. Play him. If it means Prasidh misses out, he misses out, unfortunately. He gets a break, and Siraj plays," he stated.
Anil Kumble’s proposed XI also features Washington Sundar, whom he preferred ahead of Dhruv Jurel due to his ability to contribute heavily with the bat.
"Washington is also there. I have sort of picked Washington ahead of probably Dhruv Jurel, if that's a possibility. I have looked at him as a batter. If you want him to bat at No. 3, then he should be good enough to bat at No. 6 as a batter," he remarked.
India squad for one-off Test against Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey
