India’s chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, was in the spotlight for decisions that drew criticism from all quarters. One of them was Auqib Nabi’s ignorance, among others. For the record, India unveiled its squads for the upcoming multi-format series against Afghanistan that takes place a few days after the conclusion of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Jasprit Bumrah‘s participation in the upcoming series was in doubt due to concerns over the senior pacer’s fitness and workload, and he was rested for both legs of Afghanistan’s tour.
Key Takeaways from the selection of both squads.
The major takeaway from chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s squad announcement on Tuesday was the decision to strip Rishabh Pant of the vice-captain’s role in Test cricket and also drop him from the ODI team. While KL Rahul has replaced him to become the vice-captain of the team and Shubman Gill’s deputy in the Test team, Ishan Kishan replaces him as the back-up wicket-keeper batter in the ODI format.
The inclusion of fresh faces in India’s Test as well as ODI squads was equally important. Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar received their maiden Test call-ups along with Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar, with Suthar, who can be handy with the bat down the order.
Brar was also included in the ODI set-up as he was called in for the first time alongside fellow pacer Prince Yadav, who has been one of the standout performers for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the ongoing IPL season. Senior pacer Mohammed Shami was ignored by the selectors yet again, and he is highly unlikely to represent the Men in Blue India again unless he achieves extraordinary numbers either in domestic cricket or in the IPL.
Ajit Agarkar & Co Slammed by Dodda Ganesh for ignoring Auqib Nabi
Many believe that the selectors haven’t exactly rewarded domestic brilliance from the Ranji Trophy, especially considering Auqib Nabi’s absence from the Test or the ODI squads. Nabi had played a key role in Jammu and Kashmir’s historic Ranji Trophy triumph by finishing as the highest wicket-taker with 60 wickets at an average of 12.56.
And although he has made his IPL debut with the Delhi Capitals since then, a national call-up continues to elude him for now. Former Karnataka and India seamer Dodda Ganesh described Nabi’s exclusion as “beyond shocking”, slamming the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee for picking Brar, who also happens to be Test and ODI Captain Gill’s teammate in the Punjab team.
Taking to Social Media Platform X, Dodda Ganesh wrote, “No Auqib Nabi? This is beyond shocking. And who is picked instead? A seamer who only played a few games last season. I know a thing or two about how it feels when you don’t make it after picking up loads of wickets in the Ranji Trophy. My heart goes out to the young man. You’re still young. Please don’t lose heart.”
The one-off Test against Afghanistan, India’s first since the two-Test series against South Africa in November, begins on June 6th at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in New Chandigarh. The ODI series then takes place in Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Chennai on 14, 17, and 20 June, respectively.
India Squad for Afghanistan Series (Test + ODIs)
Here, we will show you the India squad for the Test and ODI series against Afghanistan.
Test Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel.
ODI Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
It remains to be seen how India fares in this short series against Afghanistan post IPL 2026. Some notable exclusions and inclusions, but the team will want to start a busy long season home and away on the right note. Let’s see how the Men in Blue fare against dogged Afghanistan in this short series.