IND vs AFG: From KL Rahul And Rishabh Pant to Sai Sudharsan; Check Shubman Gill’s Predicted India Playing XI For Mullanpur Test | In Pics
IND vs AFG Test: India and Afghanistan clash for a one-off test as a prelude to a three-match ODI series between the two Asian nations. The hosts India made a huge change in the leadership group ahead of the match, with KL Rahul replacing Rishabh Pant as the deputy to Shubman Gill. Meanwhile, a day before the test, Gautam Gambhir revealed that Sai Sudharsan will bat at number three. The Indian head coach talked about how Sudharsan needs to be given a long rope at number three. Here is a look at the predicted playing XI for tomorrow’s India vs Afghanistan test in Mullanpur.
While the batting order looks pretty settled, there is still a call to be made on an all-rounder spot. Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar will be competing for the third spin option slot, with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar leading the attack. Meanwhile, it is expected that Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna will take the new ball and will be assisted by Nitish Kumar Reddy as the third pacer if need be. Pant, who will be playing his 50th test, will keep the wickets.
KL Rahul Named Vice-Captain
KL Rahul was named the vice-captain of the test team ahead of the India vs Afghanistan test in Mullanpur. The right-handed batter will be opening the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Yashasvi Jaiswal At Number 2
Yashasvi Jaiswal would look to go big against Afghanistan after scoring only 91 runs in his last five innings in the longest format. His lack of runs in the previous series against South Africa meant that India was whitewashed at home.
Gautam Gambhir Backs Sai Sudharsan
Gautam Gambhir backed Sai Sudharsan to bat at number three ahead of the India vs Afghanistan test. The Indian head coach talked about how Sudharsan needed a longer rope at three.
Shubman Gill to Captain
Shubman Gill, having missed the South Africa series, would want to rectify the team's record at home. Gill will captain the side and bat at number four.
Rishabh Pant to Keep Wickets
Rishabh Pant will be playing his 50th test against Afghanistan. The wicketkeeper batter was replaced as the vice-captain of the team by KL Rahul, but continues to be a strong player in the batting lineup.
Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar, despite modest returns at home with the ball is being looked at as a possible replacement of Ravichandran Ashwin. Sundar will bat at six while contributing with his right-arm off-spin.
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Nitish Kumar Reddy will be batting at number seven for the Indian cricket team. The all-rounder has impressed with his bowling returns in the recently concluded IPL 2026 and will be the third seamer for Shubman Gill's side.
Harsh Dubey
Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar will be competing for the number 8 spot in the playing XI. However, it is expected that Dubey will pip Suthar thanks to slightly better first-class records.
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin bowling attack that would feature Washington Sundar and one of Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar.
Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj will take the new ball and will lead the pace attack against Afghanistan in Mullanpur.
Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh Krishna will be the 11th player for the Indian team and will share the new ball with Siraj. The 30-year-old would be playing his first test after having played six games overseas.
