Head coach Gautam Gambhir is preparing to prove himself in Test cricket, made a special plan before the match against Afghanistan

New Delhi: The schedule of the Indian cricket team is going to be very busy as soon as IPL 2026 ends. The only test match will be played against Afghanistan in Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) from June 6. After this there will also be a series of three ODI matches. Shubman Gill will pass his first big test of captaincy in this series.

Completely serious about the test match

Tatim management is taking this test very seriously. Even though this match is not a part of the World Test Championship 2025-27, the Indian team has still planned to field its strong batting unit. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and the selectors are paying special attention to red ball cricket after the disappointing performance in recent Test matches.

Batting unit will be strong

The team management is constantly keeping an eye on the fitness and workload of the players. According to sources, almost all the major batsmen including Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant can be seen playing in this test. At present there is no major concern regarding the batting department. BCCI is taking complete data of players during IPL and the condition of batsmen is said to be satisfactory.

There will be changes in bowling

Some big changes can be seen in the bowling department. Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be given rest. The decision on Mohammad Siraj and Prasidh Krishna will be taken later. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are not available due to injury. The team management does not want to tire its star bowlers too much after the continuous cricket schedule.

Young bowlers will get a chance

This test match will be a good opportunity to try young bowlers. India has to play further test series against strong teams like Sri Lanka and New Zealand. In such a situation, Gautam Gambhir wants to create a strong bench strength. The performance of many Indian bowlers in IPL 2026 was not as per expectations, which the team management wants to improve.

The master plan of Gambhir and the selectors is clear to bring back India’s old strength in Test cricket. This match against Afghanistan can prove to be an important part of new experiments and preparation for the team.