The BCCI has unveiled India’s squad for the country’s next Test and ODI assignments against Afghanistan, with the tour scheduled to begin immediately after the conclusion of the ongoing IPL 2026 campaign. India will kick off with a single Test against Afghanistan on June 6 at the PCA New Stadium in Tira. That encounter will sit outside the World Test Championship cycle. The visitors will then remain in India for a three-match ODI series that runs from June 14 to June 20, with games planned in Dharamsala, Lucknow and Chennai.
Several notable changes have shaped the selection. Mohammed Shami has been left out, Jasprit Bumrah has been given a rest, and Rishabh Pant has lost both his ODI place and his vice-captaincy role. The headline surprises, however, are two fresh faces—uncapped fast bowler Gurnoor Brar and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey—who have both earned their first call-ups to the senior India set.
Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, also indicated that the same pair are being weighed for a bigger target: India’s ODI World Cup squad.
Who is Gurnoor Brar?
Gurnoor Brar is a right-arm pacer from Punjab, standing at six feet five inches. As a youngster, he wasn’t immediately drawn to cricket; football and tennis were his earliest interests. Everything changed after a school friend urged him to attend cricket trials because of his height, a suggestion that ultimately redirected his path, as described in an interview with The Times of India. Brar then found himself in the India Under-19 setup within two years, where he bowled to Shubman Gill. Gill, the current captain of India in Tests and ODIs, quickly noticed Brar’s potential and helped him get into the district setup before he progressed to Punjab’s Under-23 group. He went on to make his List A debut in 2021 and his first-class debut a year later.
Even though his early returns were modest, Brar continued to build his case and caught the attention of Punjab Kings. He initially joined the franchise as a net bowler in 2023. After impressing Shikhar Dhawan, he was signed as an injury replacement later that season and made his IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants.
After that early opportunity, Brar faced two setbacks. He struggled to make a major impact in his IPL debut, and soon after, an injury in a domestic T20 competition ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Once again, Gill played a key role, helping Brar secure a contract with Gujarat Titans.
At Gujarat Titans, Brar benefited from the coaching of head coach Ashish Nehra and shared a dressing room with Kagiso Rabada—someone he had previously teamed up with during his time at Punjab Kings. After spending a year operating as a net bowler for GT, Brar was signed for INR 30 lakh ahead of IPL 2025 and retained for the 2026 season. Despite being part of the squad, he is yet to appear in an IPL match.
Brar’s limited IPL exposure hasn’t stopped his rise in domestic cricket. He collected 11 wickets in eight matches as Punjab reached the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-finals last season. He was also the joint-leading wicket-taker with eight scalps when India A hosted Australia A for two four-day matches in Lucknow in September 2025.
Beyond his white-ball skillset, Brar has also played 18 first-class matches, taking 52 wickets at an average of 27.30. It was his height and raw pace that first made selectors take notice, leading to an India A call-up last year. Since then, he has featured in three matches for the Pathways squad.
Speaking about the Punjab pacer, Agarkar said Brar’s height and skill set make him an intriguing option for the Afghanistan series. He added that the selection group is also keeping the South Africa ODI World Cup in mind, where conditions are expected to suit bowlers of Brar’s profile.
Who is Harsh Dubey?
Harsh Dubey’s rise made it difficult for selectors to ignore him. The Vidarbha all-rounder produced a record-breaking Ranji Trophy 2024/25 campaign in which he claimed 69 wickets and helped his side win the title. That stretch earned him two India A call-ups last year and also brought him the Lala Amarnath Award for Best All-Rounder of the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy season earlier this year. Dubey then went one step further by captaining Vidarbha to their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph during his first spell as skipper.
Following his domestic success, Dubey was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2025. He made his debut against Delhi Capitals and featured in three matches, picking up five wickets. Among those were the notable scalps of Virat Kohli and Mitchell Marsh, form that played a role in his retention for the 2026 season. He has since become a regular presence for the franchise.
In 2025, Dubey also earned a spot in the India A squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Qatar. There, he scored his maiden T20 half-century, before going on to hit a career-best 84 in a red-ball India A game against South Africa at home.
With Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel rested, Dubey and Manav Suthar are expected to compete for the spin-bowling all-rounder role in the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
