Who’s in, who’s out? Decoding India’s squad changes for Afghanistan Test and ODI series

NEW DELHI: India’s squads for the upcoming Afghanistan tour have largely retained the core from the side’s previous Test and ODI assignments, but there are still several notable inclusions, exclusions and workload-management calls across formats.

While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continue in the ODI setup, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested, opening the door for fresh faces like Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey.





Here’s a closer look at who’s in and who’s out from India’s previous squads:

ODI squad: Who’s in and Who’s out?

Ishan Kishan comes back into India’s ODI setup on the back of some stellar form in domestic cricket and carrying the momentum of T20 World Cup selection. With Rishabh Pant not part of the ODI squad, Kishan slots back in as the additional wicketkeeping option alongside KL Rahul.


Hardik Pandya returns to the ODI setup, though his inclusion remains subject to fitness clearance. India had gone without a frontline pace-bowling all-rounder since the 2025 Champions Trophy.


The biggest headline from the ODI squad is Prince Yadav’s maiden India call-up. The Lucknow Super Giants pacer impressed selectors with his IPL 2026 performances, especially his pace and hard-length bowling.


Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar also earned a place in the ODI squad as well as the Test squad as India continue to test their fast bowling depth, in the absence of injured Harshit Rana.

Harsh Dubey’s domestic performances have earned him a place in the ODI and Test squad as India look to expand their all-round options.


One of the biggest absentees from the ODI squad is Ravindra Jadeja, who has been rested for the Afghanistan tour.


Rishabh Pant, who was withdrawn from India’s previous ODI squad against New Zealand owing to an injury sustained during the practice, does not find a place in the current setup either.


Ayush Badoni, part of the ODI squad against New Zealand earlier this year, has been left out.


Despite being part of the last ODI squad, Yashasvi Jaiswal does not feature in the Afghanistan ODI setup while Dhruv Jurel also misses out from the ODI squad.


Mohammed Siraj, who featured in the New Zealand ODI series, is not part of the Afghanistan squad, while Harshit Rana loses his place from the previous ODI squad.

Test squad: Who’s in, who’s out?

Gill, who had withdrawn after the first Test against South Africa due to injury, returns and will captain India in the one-off Test against Afghanistan.


Prasidh Krishna comes into the Test squad, strengthening India’s pace attack in Bumrah’s absence, while Punjab left-arm seamer Gurnoor Brar is among the fresh additions to the Test setup alongside spinner Manav Suthar has also earned a place in the Test squad as India continue investing in younger red-ball options.


Harsh Dubey’s rise continues with inclusion in the Test squad as well.


India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the Afghanistan tour. Ravindra Jadeja is also absent from the Test setup as part of workload management.

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Axar Patel, who was part of India’s last Test squad against South Africa, does not feature in the Afghanistan Test squad. Pacer Akash Deep also misses out from the current Test setup.

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