'First, they should learn how to play and last for 50 overs' - Madan Lal slams Afghanistan after IND vs AFG 2026 Test

Former India all-rounder Madan Lal questioned the ICC's decision to give Afghanistan Test status after the Blue Tigers were comprehensively defeated by India by an innings and 300 runs in the one-off Test match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

Lal believes that Afghanistan is not used to playing Test cricket. He advised them to focus on consistently doing well in the 50-over format, as they are already a good T20 side.

"Why are they (Afghanistan) allowed to play Test? I don’t understand the logic behind giving Afghanistan Test status. I also do not understand why affiliate nations are given Test status on the basis of their ODI and T20I records. I feel they should focus on ODIs as they are a very good T20I side. Playing Test is jumping the gun. First, they should learn how to play and last for 50 overs," Lal was quoted as saying by News18.

"See, they scored just 152 and 102 in this match. In their previous encounter eight years back, they folded up in 109 and 102 runs. Is this good advertisement for Test cricket? Playing a five-day Test requires a lot of infrastructure and facilities. That is absolutely zero in Afghanistan. So what do they do? The players are not bad. It’s only that they are not used to playing five-day cricket," he added.

Hashmatullah Shahidi's Afghanistan will have a chance to redeem itself during the upcoming three-match ODI series against India. The first ODI is set to take place at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday, June 13. The next two matches will be held in Lucknow and Chennai on June 17 and 20, respectively.

India will miss key players like Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya due to injuries. However, Rohit Sharma is expected to play a part.

Afghanistan and India have played four ODIs so far. The Men in Blue have won three of those games, while one ended in a tie.