India and Afghanistan take on each other for the one-off Test of the multi-format series. The two sides meet at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, and the clash began on a positive note for the Indian team as the side won the toss and opted to bat first. Manav Suthar gets his debut for the side, as the Indian team hopes to put in a good performance in the clash.
It is worth noting that the series will not be a part of the ongoing WTC (World Test Championship) cycle, but both sides will be hoping to show and put in a good showing. Interestingly, the Indian team lines up with the likes of KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and many more stars in the side.
On the other hand, Afghanistan’s lineup misses the likes of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman, but the side will hope to put up a good fight against the hosts.
Shubman Gill’s take at the toss
Winning the toss, India skipper Shubman Gill came forward and talked about how good it feels to lead the Indian team at home and gave his take on the nature of the pitch as well.
“We're going to bat first. Very hot and humid here, so I think as the time goes by, the wicket is going to get slower and it's going to get low. Looks like a good surface. I think a little bit drier, obviously because of the heat. It's been very hot for the past few weeks here and I think it's going to stay the same. (How does it feel to be captaining on home turf for the first time?) Very special. Obviously I grew up not far from here. Grew up playing here and always wanted to play in my hometown. So I think it's a great privilege and honour to be able to captain my country for the first time here at my home ground,” Gill said at the toss.
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Afsar Zazai(w), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Mohammad Saleem Safi
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Also Read:
