Toss India chose to bat vs Afghanistan

Playing their first Test against Afghanistan since 2018, India chose to bat first in New Chandigarh. Coming just six days after the end of the IPL, the match also marks a Test debut for Rajasthan allrounder Manav Suthar.

For the first time since November 2010, India are playing a home Test without either R Ashwin (retired) or Ravindra Jadeja (rested). Suthar gets the nod as the left-arm spinner in the XI ahead of Vidarbha's Harsh Dubey, who remains on the bench.

The rest of India's line-up holds no surprises. B Sai Sudharsan, the incumbent No. 3, retains his spot in the top order ahead of Devdutt Padikkal. Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin attack, which also includes Suthar and Washington Sundar. Rishabh Pant, India's wicketkeeper, is playing his 50th Test.

Afghanistan are playing their first match under new head coach Richard Pybus. They have handed a Test debut to spin-bowling allrounder Nangeyalia Kharote. Overall, they have three seamers and two spinners in a side missing Rashid Khan. He has opted out of red-ball cricket to recuperate from a long-term back issue. Afghanistan are also without Ibrahim Zadran, who is recovering from a leg injury.

New Chandigarh is hosting a Test match for the first time in its history. The black-soil pitch is expected to be batting-friendly. However, temperatures are forecast to soar to 40°C in the afternoon, and at the toss, India captain Shubman Gill said he expected the pitch to wear down in the dry conditions as the match progresses.

India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Manav Suthar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna

Afghanistan: 1 Sediqullah Atal, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 3 Abdul Malik , 4 Rahmat Shah, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Afsar Zazai (wk), 7 Azmatullah Omarzai, 8 Sharafuddin Ashraf, 9 Nangeyalia Kharote, 10 Ziaur Rahman, 11 Mohammad Saleem