India vs Afghanistan, one-off Test: Preview and stats
What's the story
After a long break, the Indian cricket team is gearing up for a one-off Test against Afghanistan. The match will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, from June 6 to June 10. Although this isn't a part of the World Test Championship, it is still an important opportunity for India to try out new combinations with young players included in the squad.
Team dynamics
Venue, pitch report, and conditions
The contest will take place in Mullanpur, with the stadium hosting its first-ever Test match. The track here is expected to help the pacers early on, but as the match progresses, spinners will come into play. Day 2 is likely to present the best period for batters to score runs. Meanwhile, the match will start at 9:30am IST and will be telecasted on JioStar Network Channels with live streaming available on JioHotstar (App & Website).
Prospect
India can test new faces
With the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja being rested, India have a chance to test some new faces. The likes of Sai Sudharsan and Kuldeep Yadav will have a chance to earn a spot in India's first-choice XI. Meanwhile, Afghanistan will enter the game as underdogs. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah will have the onus to put up inspiring performances.
H2H
A look at the only previous Test meeting
India and Afghanistan have faced each other in just one Test match so far, back in June 2018. The game marked Afghanistan's maiden appearance in Test cricket. The contest, which took place at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, turned out to be a completely one-sided affair as a dominant Indian side wrapped up the match within two days.
XIs
A look at the probable XIs
India (Probable XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey/Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar, and Prasidh Krishna. Afghanistan (Probable XI): Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Qais Ahmad, Ziaur Rahman.
Performers
Here are the key performers
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has scored 2,511 Test runs at an average of nearly 50, has been India's most consistent Test batter in recent years. Kuldeep Yadav averages a stunning 22.42 in Tests, having scalped 76 wickets. Rishabh Pant has an average of 49.47 and a strike rate of 87.55 against spinners (Tests). Afghanistan's young pacer Ziaur Rahman took seven wickets in the only Test he has played so far. Having tallied 970 runs at 46.19, Rahmat Shah is Afghanistan's leading run-getter in Tests.
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