India have named fresh faces for their first-ever Test call-ups, handing maiden opportunities to left-arm spinners Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey, along with Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar, for an upcoming one-off match against Afghanistan next month. The selection comes with a clear focus on giving Test experience to new players, while the senior pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja have both been rested for the series.
There is also a leadership change in the squad. KL Rahul has been appointed to take charge as vice-captain in Tests, replacing Rishabh Pant, who previously held that role. Prasidh Krishna returns to the Test setup after missing India’s home Test series against West Indies and South Africa toward the end of last year. His most recent outing in red-ball cricket came at The Oval, during India’s five-match Test tour of England.
The lone Test in Afghanistan’s tour will be staged at Mullanpur, with action scheduled from June 6 to June 10.
Test Squad: Shubman Gill (c), 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, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wk)
