IND vs AFG Live: Experiment mode on as Gambhir seeks answers in transition phase

Seldom does Gautam Gambhir shed his game face. Friday morning, the eve of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, was no different. At the outset, this Test, which is not even a part of the World Test Championship cycle, is largely a relationship-building exercise by 'big brothers' BCCI to help Afghanistan cricket gain exposure of playing a Test against a top team. For head coach Gambhir, though, it is a practice round to firm up the roadmap as they head into a decisive nine months of the WTC cycle.

Finding his team languishing sixth in the WTC points table is a rude reality check for Gambhir after the high of defending the T20 World Cup in his last assignment three months ago.

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal.

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Bilal Sami, Qais Ahmed, Mohammed Saleem, Ziaur Rahman.

Apart from the cricketing contest, both teams will have to cope with the unforgiving North Indian summer. The timing of the match, coming in June immediately after two months of IPL action and a month-long white-ball tour of the United Kingdom, has raised questions about player workload and scheduling.

The scorching heat has already forced teams to modify their routines. During practice sessions, Indian players preferred taking SUVs to travel the short distance between the main stadium and the adjacent practice ground rather than walking under the harsh afternoon sun. Such scenes highlighted the severity of the conditions.

The weather could become a significant factor over the five days, testing endurance as much as skill. For India, the challenge goes beyond merely securing a victory. This Test is about identifying combinations, assessing future options and building momentum before more demanding assignments await. For Afghanistan, it presents another opportunity to measure their progress against one of the game's traditional powerhouses and show that they are capable of extending the contest far beyond what happened eight years ago.

Afghanistan may enter the contest as underdogs, but they also carry the advantage of having little to lose. Since their inaugural Test against India in 2018, the Asian side have played only 11 more Tests, while India have featured in 67 during the same period. Remarkably, Rishabh Pant alone has played 49 Tests since then, underlining the enormous gap in exposure between the two teams.

Only KL Rahul from India's 2018 squad remains in the current side, while Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah are among the few survivors from their first encounter with the hosts. The disparity is reflected in the numbers as well. Afghanistan's entire batting line-up boasts a combined total of nine Test centuries, whereas this new-look Indian side has accumulated 39 hundreds.

Shahidi's men prepared with a camp in Jalalabad, but practice sessions can only simulate so much. Nevertheless, Afghanistan have shown in recent years that they are capable of competing with established teams and will be eager to prove that their Test journey has progressed significantly since the painful defeat in Bengaluru.

Among the biggest talking points for India is the quest to settle the No. 3 position and identify a long-term successor to Ravindra Jadeja in red-ball cricket. These are two pieces of the puzzle that Gambhir and Gill would like to put in place before the two-Test series in Sri Lanka in August.

The competition for the No. 3 spot had narrowed down to Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal, but Gambhir made it clear on Friday that Sudharsan would be given an extended run. The team management believes the left-hander deserves a fair opportunity to establish himself.

Jadeja's absence has opened another interesting debate. While his batting overseas continues to be a major asset, concerns over his declining effectiveness with the ball have prompted India to look ahead. Rajasthan left-arm spinner Manav Suthar and Vidarbha all-rounder Harsh Dubey have emerged as leading candidates. Suthar's classical action and ability to extract drift have impressed observers during training, while Dubey's batting ability makes him a more rounded package. The choice could offer a glimpse into the management's long-term thinking.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the one-off Test between hosts India and Afghanistan in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.

Still carrying the scars of a forgettable home Test season not too long ago, India enter the one-off Test against Afghanistan with more questions than answers despite remaining overwhelming favourites. The hosts are in the middle of a transition period under head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill, and this fixture provides an opportunity to experiment before sterner assignments arrive later in the year.

India's last home Test campaign ended in a humiliating 0-2 defeat against a well-prepared South African side, a result that exposed several vulnerabilities and forced the management to rethink combinations. That experience ensures Afghanistan will not be taken lightly despite the vast difference in experience and resources between the two sides.

The contrast with the previous meeting between the teams is stark. In Bengaluru in 2018, Afghanistan's resistance lasted barely two days as India wrapped up the contest with remarkable ease, claiming all 20 wickets in just two sessions on the second day. Eight years later, Hashmatullah Shahidi's men would hope to offer a much sterner challenge to an Indian side still searching for stability.