Nangyal Kharotai, Bilal Sami and Rahmanullah Zadran have received maiden call-ups to Afghanistan's Test team for their one-off match against India, while Qais Ahmad made a return to the side too. Batter Ibrahim Zadran and spin talisman Rashid Khan are both rested from the squad, which last played Test cricket against Zimbabwe in October 2025.
It is understood that Zadran is recovering from a leg injury. On the other hand, Rashid revealed a few months ago that he had been asked to cut down on red-ball cricket by doctors. He played in the Zimbabwe Test last year against their advice, and said: "When [my doctor] knew I bowled 67 [55] overs in one innings, in two innings, he was shocked. He was 'no, you can't do that to yourself." Afghanistan are not part of the World Test Championship, which means Rashid has restricted his action in the format, but both he and Zadran will play in the three-match ODI series against India that follows.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will continue to captain both the Test side, which takes on India in New Chandigarh from June 6 to 10, as well as the ODI side, which plays a three-match series from June 13 to 20.
Afghanistan will be playing India for only the second time in Test cricket. They made their debut in the format against India, in June 2018, when they succumbed to a loss by an innings and 262 runs. Since then, they have racked up four wins from their next ten Tests.
Afghanistan Test squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi
Afghanistan ODI squad: Hasmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharotai, AM Ghazanfar, Zia U Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami