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NEW DELHI: India’s Test squad reached New Chandigarh on Tuesday ahead of their one-off Test against Afghanistan, which begins on June 6 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. The match marks India’s return to red-ball cricket after the end of IPL 2026 and will be led by captain Shubman Gill. Players including vice-captain KL Rahul, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy were seen arriving with the squad as preparations got underway.Although the Afghanistan Test is not part of the current World Test Championship cycle, it is a key opportunity for India to regain confidence in the longest format. The team has not played a Test since suffering a 2-0 home series defeat to South Africa last year. With challenging tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand scheduled later in 2026, India will use this fixture to sharpen their game and build momentum.Watch the video of Team India arriving in New ChandigarhThe squad features a mix of established stars and emerging talent, and training sessions are expected to begin soon as the team fine-tunes its plans for the match.For Afghanistan, the one-off Test offers another chance to measure their progress against one of the strongest teams in world cricket. The visitors have gradually gained experience in the format and will be aiming to put up a strong challenge.The two teams have faced each other only once in Test cricket before. Their first meeting came in Bengaluru in 2018, when Afghanistan played their debut Test match. India dominated that contest, winning by an innings and 262 runs within two days.This upcoming encounter will be the first red-ball clash between India and Afghanistan since that historic meeting eight years ago.
