India name squad for Afghanistan series, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya's inclusion subject to fitness clearance

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the Indian team's squads for the upcoming multi-format series against Afghanistan, which will be played at home. Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, both part of the One-Day International (ODI) squad, have been named, but their availability will depend subject to fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence (CoE). Virat Kohli is set to leave a mark once again.

KL Rahul has been made the new vice-captain of the Test team, while Rishabh Pant has been demoted to being the specialist wicketkeeper. Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha) and Gurnoor Brar (Punjab) have been handed their maiden call-up to the Indian team, and both will be featuring across the series. Manav Suthar has also been handed a call-up to the Test squad.

Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, has been ignored from both sides. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed Jadeja's absence, saying that the veteran all-rounder has only been rested, as the fresh faces of Dubey and Suthar are likely to be tested in the series, which will commence on June 06, less than a week after the IPL 2026's conclusion. Axar Patel is also a notable absentee from the squads of both the formats.

Agarkar further said that the Indian team, under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, wants to give opportunities to youngsters, as there is still 15-16 months left for the 2027 ODI World Cup. 

Speaking of the Test squad, Gill & Co. will be facing a relatively inexperienced Afghan unit in New Chandigarh for the one-off, five-day encounter. With Rahul as the new deputy, it will be interesting to see how Pant fares with the burden of leadership taken off his shoulders. Notably, the team management was not happy with the decisions taken by Pant during the recent South Africa Tests when Gill was injured.

Rahul will be seen opening alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, while Devdutt Padikkal will compete with Sai Sudharsan for a place at number three. Dhruv Jurel has been added as a backup to Pant, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are the mainstay all-rounders apart from freshies Dubey and Suthar. Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack in Jasprit Bumrah's stead alongside Prasidh Krishna.

Another name to have earned a maiden call to the dressing room is Prince Yadav, the tall right-arm pacer, who plays for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL and recently impressed everyone with stellar form despite the torrid season for his franchise. Prince will feature only in the ODI leg of the series, which begins on June 14 in Dharamsala. He might well make his debut, since Siraj is not in the ODI team for the tour.

Meanwhile, a surprise inclusion in the 50-over squad is that of Ishan Kishan, who returns to the set-up, having last featured in an ODI in the 2023 World Cup, with Afghanistan, coincidentally, being the last team he played against. Consistent domestic performances have finally helped Kishan make a comeback after a gap of almost three years.

India squads versus Afghanistan 2026

Test squad: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant [WK], Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Dhruv Jurel, Harsh Dubey

ODI squad: Shubman Gill, 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

*Rohit and Pandya – Subject to fitness

India vs Afghanistan 2026: Schedule