Gill, Bumrah Likely Rested for Afghanistan Test

• By Thetripurapost Desk, Mumbai
• Apr 21, 2026
• 510

India are unlikely to risk their biggest stars for a low-stakes one-off Test—this looks much more like a squad rotation opportunity than a full-strength outing.

With just a 5–6 day gap between the Indian Premier League 2026 Final on May 31 and the Afghanistan Test on June 6, workload management becomes critical. Players like Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah are prime candidates for rest, especially with a long international stretch ahead.

There are no ICC World Test Championship points tied to this match, which further reduces the urgency to field a full-strength XI. Team management is expected to prioritize fitness ahead of bigger assignments like the England tour.

This opens the door for fresh faces. Players such as Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, and Aaqib Nabi are in contention, while all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has strengthened his case with improved bowling performances. From the domestic circuit, Gurnur Brar and Manav Suthar are also being closely tracked.

The Test, scheduled in Mullanpur, could effectively serve as a platform to test bench strength.

India’s schedule from June to July is packed—series against Afghanistan (Tests and ODIs), followed by T20Is in Ireland, a white-ball tour of England, and then Zimbabwe. Managing player fatigue across formats is clearly the bigger priority.

Historically, India national cricket team have dominated Afghanistan national cricket team. Afghanistan’s Test debut came against India in 2018, where they suffered a heavy defeat. Across formats, India have largely maintained control, including a 3-0 T20I series win in 2024.

All signs point to this being less about the result—and more about squad depth, rotation, and long-term planning.