The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has initiated a definitive transition phase in India's red-ball cricket. The upcoming one-off Test match against Afghanistan, starting June 6, 2026, at Mullanpur, will serve as a testing ground for next-generation talent. Because this fixture falls outside the current ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, the selectors have explicitly chosen to heavily rest established multi-format veterans. 

The squad features three uncapped players rewarded for their consistency with India A and domestic tournaments. A lethal left-arm orthodox spinner from Rajasthan. Manav Suthar has been the go-to spinner for India A and provides excellent lower-order batting stability. A breakout left-arm spinner representing Vidarbha. Harsh Dubey earned his spot following standout multi-day performances in the Duleep Trophy and the Ranji Trophy circuit.

 Gurnoor Brar is a tall, hit-the-deck right-arm fast bowler from Punjab who plays for Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He fills the void for an aggressive, tall pace option capable of extracting steep bounce. By retaining Shubman Gill as captain across both the Test match and the subsequent ODI series, the BCCI has officially signaled that Gill is the absolute face of India’s future leadership. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah and premier all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are entirely missing from the squad. This is a strategic rest window planned by the medical team to manage player workloads. Chief selector Agarkar confirmed that veteran paceman Mohammed Shami was not even a part of the selection discussions as he continues his fitness and recovery timeline. 

India’s complete 15-member squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, and Harsh Dubey.

BCCI unveils ODI squad for Afghanistan series; Prince Yadav, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar headline fresh faces

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has completely re-engineered India's 50-over blueprint by announcing a fascinating squad for the 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan running from June 14 to June 20, 2026. This series acts as an early preparation runway for next year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. The selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, rewarded three prominent standout domestic and IPL names with their maiden national ODI call-ups. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) breakout medium-pacer is the most talked-about inclusion. Prince Yadav heavily impressed selectors during recent competitive T20/IPL windows by scalping 16 wickets from 12 matches while consistently maintaining a disciplined test-match line and length.

The Vidarbha all-rounder has earned dual selection across both the Test and ODI formats. Dubey brings unique tactical variation to the side as a defensive left-arm orthodox spinner who can seamlessly clear the boundaries lower down the batting order. Standing tall and capable of extracting steep bounce on flat Indian decks, Punjab’s right-arm fast bowler, Brar has been fast-tracked into the limited-overs frame to bolster the pace reserves. Both Rohit Sharma (who has been managing a hamstring issue) and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya have been included subject to passing final fitness clearances at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) before June 14. To protect India's primary assets, fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been completely rested for the entire tour to keep him fit ahead of massive upcoming overseas cycles. Having already lost his Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul, Pant was entirely axed from the ODI team. Selectors are looking to manage his red-ball workload while re-evaluating his overall white-ball efficiency.

India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.

(Note: Hardik Pandya's inclusion remains subject to passing an upcoming fitness clearance).