GUWAHATI: The BCCI on Tuesday, May 19, announced India’s squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, with KL Rahul named vice-captain under skipper Shubman Gill, replacing Rishabh Pant in the leadership role.
ALSO READ: Adani Group Stocks Rise Up to 3.5% as US Drops Fraud Charges Against Gautam Adani
Pant remains part of the squad as a wicketkeeper-batter but has been relieved of vice-captaincy duties. He has also not been included in the ODI squad for the subsequent three-match series.
India will be without key players Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah, both rested for the Test, along with Axar Patel and Akash Deep. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are set to lead the pace attack.
The squad features fresh faces, with Gurnoor Brar and Manav Suthar earning their maiden Test call-ups, while Harsh Dubey has also been included. The spin department includes Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Suthar.
India returned to Test cricket after their 2-0 home series loss to South Africa last year. The two sides have met only once in Tests before, with India winning convincingly in Bengaluru in 2018.
India Test squad: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel.