IND vs AFG 2026 One-off Test: Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans ended in second place after the league stages of the IPL 2026 and also ended runners-up after the final on Sunday. Gill now has focus on return to international cricket as he gets ready to lead Team India in the one-off Test against Afghanistan which begins in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh on Saturday.
There is, however, some bad news for the Indian side as Gill’s GT teammate Mohammed Siraj might be rested due to workload management for the Afghanistan Test. Siraj played in 17 matches for GT and claimed 19 wickets while bowling more than 60 overs in the last couple of months.
Since, Afghanistan are not part of the World Test Championships and the one-off Test doesn’t have any bearing to the WTC 2025-27 Points Table, India may decide to give a break to Siraj considering the heavy international calendar which is there for Gill’s side. According to a TOI report, a call of Siraj’s participation will be taken by the BCCI Medical Team in the next couple of days.
Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has already been rested for the one-off Test, according to BCCI’s workload management policy. “Siraj has had a long season and if he is rested, then there is the possibility that Gurnoor (Brar) will play and Auqib Nabi will come into the squad,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by BCCI.
Also Read | India vs Afghanistan 2026 One-off Test: Full squads, TV timing, Live streaming, Venue and all you need to know
Siraj, who was retained for Rs 12.25 crore by Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2026, has claimed 139 in 45 Tests in his career at an average of 29.66. His GT teammate Gurnoor Brar has been called up to the Indian Test squad for the first time as the BCCI selectors have reportedly kept a close eye on the pacer over the last few years and he was a member of the India ‘A’ teams consistenly.
Meanwhile, many former cricketers were appalled that Auqib Nabi Dar, the leading wicket-taker in Rani Trophy 2025-26 season didn’t earn a call-up for the Afghanistan even after leading Jammu and Kashmir to a historic title. But Auqib was highly disappointing in the IPL 2026 season for Delhi Capitals, failing to claim a single wicket in the 5 matches he faced.
Nabi, though, has been called up apart from five other bowlers – Gurjapneet Singh, Prince Yadav, Saransh Jain, Zeeshan Ansari and Shivang Kumar – as net bowlers for Team India ahead of the Afghanistan Test. It remains to be seen if Siraj will make the cut come Saturday or will Gurnoor Brar possibly make his Test debut at Mullanpur.
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Devadyuti Das is a senior sports editor with two decades of expertise in the media landscape. Based in New Delhi, Devadyuti has been a fixture in sports reporting since 2005, specializing in Internati … Read More
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