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India vs Afghanistan, IND vs AFG 2026, Today Match Prediction
IND vs AFG Win Probability
Toss Winner - India won the toss and choose to bat first
India won by an innings and 300 runs
In the only previous Test meeting between these two nations in June 2018 at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, India recorded an emphatic victory by an innings and 262 runs after posting 474 in their first innings before bowling out Afghanistan for 109 and 103.
- India have not played a Test match since November last year, and this one-off fixture against Afghanistan marks the beginning of a new chapter under the leadership of Shubman Gill.
- Gill scored 983 runs across nine Tests in 2025 at an average of 70.21.
- Rahmat Shah is Afghanistan’s all-time leading run-getter in Test cricket, with 970 runs in 11 matches at an average of 46.19.
India are favorites to win this Test.
| Tournament: | Afghanistan tour of India 2026 |
| Format: | test |
| Venue: | New Chandigarh, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, India, India |
| Toss Prediction: | To Bat |
| Weather: | 37.9°C|Sunny |
IND vs AFG Match Prediction & Analysis
A new era of Indian Test cricket begins on Saturday morning in Mullanpur, not with the usual fanfare that accompanies a home series, but with a quiet sense of purpose. Shubman Gill, who took over the Test captaincy permanently in May last year, will lead a largely second-string side against Afghanistan in a one-off fixture that sits outside the World Test Championship cycle. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been rested from the red-ball squad, leaving Gill to build his own legacy with a team packed with promise and inexperience in equal measure.
For Afghanistan, this is another step forward in their gradual evolution as a Test-playing nation. Granted Full Member status in 2017, they have played only nine Tests since, winning three and losing six. Their most recent outing in the format was against Zimbabwe in December 2025, a match they lost by an innings. But there are reasons for optimism as the Afghans are known to be fighters, and these conditions should suit their spinners.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
IND
L
L
W
W
W
IND
AFG
L
W
L
L
L
AFG
359/10 in 103.0 3.49
AFG vs ZIM 2025
Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by an innings and 73 runs0/0 in 0.0 0
243/10 in 73.3 3.31
AFG vs ZIM 2024-25
Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 72 runs205/10 in 68.3 2.99
155/10 in 54.5 2.83
AFG vs IRE 2024
Ireland beat Afghanistan by -4 wickets111/4 in 31.3 3.52
382/10 in 86.0 4.44
BAN vs AFG
Bangladesh won by 546 runs
425/4 in 80.0 5.31
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 0 Matches
TEAMS PREVIEW
India Preview
India go into the one-off Test against Afghanistan as overwhelming favourites, but this is far from a routine assignment. With the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja all rested, the selectors have used this fixture as a platform to test fringe players and hand experience to those on the fringes of the Test setup. The match will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh from June 6 to 10, and is not part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Shubman Gill leads the side, and the captaincy has brought the very best out of him. In 2025, he scored 983 runs in nine Tests at an average of 70.21, becoming only the third player after Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar to score four centuries while captaining in a bilateral Test series. His 269 in the Edgbaston Test against England was the highest individual score by an Indian in a Test outside Asia. Against an inexperienced Afghan attack, he will be eager to continue that rich vein of form.
KL Rahul, named vice-captain, had a fabulous IPL 2026 season with Delhi Capitals and will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, giving India a settled top order. Sai Sudharsan at number three is building his Test case steadily, having scored 302 runs with two half-centuries across six Tests. Rishabh Pant keeps wicket and brings match-winning potential in the middle order, while the all-round options of Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy give the batting genuine depth.
The spin attack will be decisive on what is likely to be a turning surface in New Chandigarh. Kuldeep Yadav has taken 76 Test wickets at an average of 22.42, and is the key weapon against a batting lineup that has historically struggled against quality wrist-spin. Washington Sundar was India's leading Test run-scorer in the South Africa series at home in 2025, with 124 runs, and gives the side an additional spin option with a genuine bat. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna lead a pace attack that is without Bumrah but carries enough quality to be dangerous.
Key Players: Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav
India Predicted Playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
India Actual Playing XI:
Manav Suthar, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Lokesh Rahul, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Afghanistan Preview
Rarely has a Test side carried so much white-ball pedigree into the five-day game while simultaneously carrying so many questions about their red-ball readiness. Afghanistan arrive in New Chandigarh for only their second Test on Indian soil, and the enormity of that challenge cannot be understated. Their most recent Test, against Zimbabwe in October 2025, ended in defeat, bowled out for 127 and 159 in a match where Zimbabwe won by an innings. That collapse, against a modest attack, will concern the management considerably.
The batting, at least, has genuine substance at the top. Rahmat Shah has scored 970 Test runs in 11 matches at an average of 46, making him the most technically accomplished batter in Afghan cricket. He was named Player of the Series against Zimbabwe in the 2024-25 tour, where he scored a double century - the highest Test score by an Afghan batter at the time, before Hashmatullah Shahidi broke the record. Shahidi himself, the captain, became the first Afghan player to score a Test double hundred when he made 200 not out against Zimbabwe in 2021 and remains the cornerstone of everything this batting lineup does.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz brings an explosive dimension at the top, and Azmatullah Omarzai provides genuine all-round capability in the middle order, having impressed across white-ball formats globally. The wicketkeeping duties will fall to Ikram Alikhil, their most experienced gloves-man.
The bowling, without Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman in the Test squad, hinges heavily on the leg-spin of Qais Ahmad, who took 10 wickets on his first-class debut and has developed into a potent red-ball threat. Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai and pace bowlers Bilal Sami and Saleem Safi provide support, but the attack lacks the penetration to threaten India on a flat New Chandigarh surface.
Key Players: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Qais Ahmad
Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Saleem Safi
Afghanistan Actual Playing XI:
Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah, Abdul Malik, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharote, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Afsar Zazai, Zia ur Rehman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Sediqullah Atal
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions
The forecast for Mullanpur across the five days is consistently hot and dry. Temperatures are expected to range between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius, with hazy sunshine throughout. Humidity will be moderate at around 32 per cent, and rainfall is highly unlikely as the chance of precipitation is just 2 per cent. The intense heat means the team that wins the toss may prefer to bat first, conserving energy in the field while their bowlers toil later under the sun. The pitch could also break up earlier than usual, adding unpredictability to the later stages of the match.
IND vs AFG Pitch Report
Pitch Condition
BalancedBatting Conditions
Moderate ScoringPace Bowling
Pace BounceSpin Bowling
Average Turn
The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh is hosting its first-ever Test match. The venue has primarily been used for T20 cricket since its establishment, particularly for IPL fixtures involving Punjab Kings.
In T20 matches at this ground, the average first-innings score is 178, while the average second-innings score drops to 162.
The pitch is expected to offer good bounce and carry, assisting fast bowlers who hit the right lengths. The black-soil wicket ensures consistent bounce, with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. As the match progresses, spinners should find some turn and grip: conditions that could trouble Afghanistan’s batting lineup. Boundaries are relatively generous, and the outfield is generally fast, rewarding well‑timed strokes. A par score in the first innings is likely to be in the region of 350-400, and with the pitch expected to deteriorate over five days, the team batting first may hold a significant advantage if they post a total in that range.
Total Over/Under Betting Tips
India to win the coin toss @ 1.90
We back India to win the coin toss in today's match against Afghanistan
Toss: To Bat
The one-off Test is scheduled to start at 9:30 AM IST (9:00 AM for the toss) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. The surface is expected to offer some assistance to fast bowlers in the first hour, with good bounce and carry. As the match progresses, spinners should come into play. The captain who wins the toss is likely to bat first and trust his batters to post a total that puts pressure on the opposition on a pitch that may deteriorate. This is because only once in the last five years has a team choosing to bowl first in a home Test gone on to win in Indian conditions.
IND vs AFG
Winning Prediction
This is a contest between a side transitioning into a new era and an opponent still finding its feet in the longest format. India’s batting depth is formidable even without their senior stars: Gill is in the form of his life, Rahul has been prolific across formats, and Pant is a genuine match‑winner. The bowling attack, led by Siraj and supported by the wiles of Kuldeep Yadav or the all‑round options of Sundar and Dubey, should have too much firepower for an Afghanistan batting lineup that has rarely faced sustained pressure in red‑ball cricket.
Afghanistan’s best hope lies in their spin attack – Qais Ahmad, Kharote, and Ashraf could trouble India’s batters if the pitch offers turn from day one. But the absence of Rashid Khan, who has been the difference between defeat and respectability for his side in countless matches across formats, leaves a hole that cannot be easily filled. Their batting, too, looks vulnerable. Gurbaz, Shah, and Shahidi have the talent to produce something special, but expecting them to anchor a Test innings against Siraj and Kuldeep is a gamble too far.
India’s home record in Test cricket over the past decade is unmatched, as they have lost just two series on home soil since 2013, most recently to South Africa late last year. This is something they would be looking to improve upon. Afghanistan have never beaten India in any format. The gap in experience, resources, and conditions is simply too wide. Expect the hosts to dominate from the first session and complete a comprehensive victory.
India are favorites to win this Test.
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