Team India began preparations for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh, with Shubman Gill leading the side and new spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule joining the support staff.
Team India hit the ground running as the Shubman Gill-led side got their red-ball preparations underway ahead of their one-off Test against Afghanistan.
The Test will commence in New Chandigarh on Saturday.
Key Points
- India commenced preparations for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh.
- Shubman Gill will captain the side in both the Test and ODI series.
- Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rahul were among those training under head coach Gautam Gambhir.
- The Afghanistan Test marks India's first red-ball assignment since the end of IPL 2026.
'Team India hits the nets as the red ball grind gets underway ahead of the #INDvAFG Test,' BCCI captioned a video posted on their X handle.
Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul were among the players spotted during India's training session on Tuesday, with head coach Gautam Gambhir closely overseeing preparations.
The one-off Test against Afghanistan will mark India's first red-ball assignment of the year, coming less than a week after the conclusion of IPL 2026.
Following the Test in Mullanpur, India will take on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series scheduled from June 14 to June 20.
Shubman Gill will lead the side in both formats. KL Rahul has been named vice-captain for the Test match, replacing Rishabh Pant in the role, while Shreyas Iyer will serve as Gill's deputy in the ODI series.
Former India leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule officially joined the national team's support staff on Tuesday as the new spin-bowling coach.
Bahutule will work alongside Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, fast-bowling coach Morne Morkel, fielding coach T Dilip and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate as India begin preparations for a busy international season.
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