India Vs Afghanistan, One-Off Test: Check Mullanpur Hourly Weather And Likely XIs For Historic Red-Ball Clash

India return to Test cricket for the first time since their 2-0 home series defeat to South Africa last year. Fresh off the conclusion of IPL 2026, Shubman Gill's side now switch formats for a one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, from June 6-10. It is only the second Test between the two nations, with the first, back in 2018, ending in a crushing innings defeat for Afghanistan.

Crucially, the game will not be part of the World Test Championship 2025-27 season, with no WTC points on offer for either team, though it carries significant weight as an important build-up for India ahead of upcoming WTC overseas assignments in Sri Lanka and New Zealand later this year.

In a strategic move to manage workloads and groom future leaders, the BCCI has handed the red-ball captaincy to Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul returning to the leadership group as vice-captain. Rising stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, and Nitish Kumar Reddy will be eager to make their mark, while stalwarts Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested.

Afghanistan arrive under considerable pressure. They have suffered a major setback with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman unavailable for the Test, and their last red-ball outing ended in an innings defeat to Zimbabwe.

Also Check: India Vs Afghanistan One-Off Test, Live Streaming

History offers little comfort either, the only previous Test between these sides, in June 2018 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, saw India win by an innings and 262 runs, bowling Afghanistan out for 109 and 103 after posting 474 in their first innings.

The pitch at Mullanpur is expected to offer good bounce and carry early on, favouring fast bowlers with the new ball, before slowing down to bring spinners into the game during the later stages. The stadium itself boasts a state-of-the-art drainage system capable of clearing the outfield within 25–30 minutes of rain, which should help minimise any weather-related disruptions across all five days.

India Vs Afghanistan, One-Off Test: Weather Forecast

The weather in Mullanpur is expected to remain hot and mostly dry throughout the five-day Test, with temperatures likely ranging between 35°C and 38°C and hazy sunshine dominating the forecast. There is a chance of thunderstorms during the morning of Day 1, but significant rain interruptions are not expected. Humidity is forecast to stay around 32%, making conditions challenging for players spending long hours in the field.

India Vs Afghanistan, One-Off Test: Likely XIs

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Afghanistan: Afsar Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Rahmat Shah, Hasmatullah Shahidi (C), Abdul Malik, Abdul Malik, Azmatullah Omarzai, Qais Ahmed, N. Kharote, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi

India Vs Afghanistan, One-Off Test: Squads

Afghanistan: Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Afsar Zazai(w), Sharafuddin Ashraf, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Nangeyalia Kharote, Rahmanullah, Sediqullah Atal, Ikram Alikhil

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Manav Suthar