IND vs AFG 2026 One-off Test: Team India are set to shift gears into Test match mode as they get ready to take on take on Afghanistan in the one-off at the Test Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.
It will be a preparation for bigger Test for Shubman Gill’s side as they come into this clash on the back of successive losses at home against South Africa.
One major area of concern for Team India will be the crucial number three position in the line-up, which has looked rather unsettled since the retirement of Cheteshwar Pujara. Head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke to the media ahead of one-off Test against Afghanistan and gave a big indication of who will take the No. 3 slot in Mullanpur. Gambhir put his faith behind Gujarat Titans batter Sai Sudharsan ahead of Royal Challengers Benagluru batter Devdutt Padikkal – one of the leading run-scorers in Indian domestic cricket.
Sudharsan has a modest average of 27.45 after six Tests in his career while scoring only 302 runs with 2 fifties and a best of 87 against West Indies last year. Gambhir felt it was too early to discard Sudharsan since he had played his first four Tests in England.
“Honestly, Sai hasn’t got a fair chance. He’s only played what, handful of Test matches. And he started his Test career in England, which we all know is not the easiest place,” Gambhir said about Sudharsan in the pre-match press conference in Mullanpur on Friday.
Sudharsan was the third-highest run-getter in the IPL 2026 season with 722 runs in 17 matches with a strike-rate of 158.98 with 1 century and 8 fifties to his name. “He’s had a phenomenal run in IPL as well and we’re going to give him a fair chance. I still believe that he hasn’t got a fair chance,” Gambhir added.
Team India head coach backed Sudharsan for a longer run in Test cricket. “Sai is not in bad form either. He’s got what, 700 runs in IPL. If judging players by only four or five Test matches is good enough, then I feel that we will never be able to build something. So, hopefully he will get his time.
“Whenever his (Padikkal’s) time comes, we’ll give him a fair run as well. And it’s not about giving someone five Test matches and someone else one Test match. If we give someone a fair run, we’ll give the other guy whenever he gets the opportunity, a fair run as well,” Gambhir added.
Sudharsan was retained for Rs 8.5 crore by Shubman Gill’s GT ahead of IPL 2026. He had won the Orange Cap award in IPL 2025