India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bat in the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the new stadium in Mullanpur, Punjab, on Saturday. This marks Gill's first Test as captain on his home turf.
Team Changes and Debuts
India handed a Test debut to left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who has impressed in domestic cricket. The 22-year-old has played 29 first-class matches for Rajasthan, claiming 129 wickets. Afghanistan also introduced a debutant, handing a Test cap to 22-year-old left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote.
Playing XIs
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Afsar Zazai (wicketkeeper), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad Saleem.
The match is being played at the newly built stadium in Mullanpur, which is hosting its first Test. India will look to continue their dominant form in Test cricket, while Afghanistan aim to make an impact with their spin-heavy attack.
