The BCCI announced India's Test and ODI squads for the upcoming home series against Afghanistan, making several major changes to both squads. Regarding the three-match ODI series, the management has made five changes to the side that lost to New Zealand earlier this season.
Ravindra Jadeja, 37, has been rested from a one-off Test starting on June 6, and is dropped from the ODI squad. Harsh Dubey, the 23-year-old spin all-rounder from Vidarbha, is given a chance to showcase his talent after two successful domestic seasons across all formats.
The second big name dropped from the ODI squad is Rishabh Pant. The experienced wicket-keeper has been in poor form across formats, and his recent struggles in the IPL 2026 triggered the selection panel to seek out Ishan Kishan as a backup wicketkeeper to KL Rahul in ODIs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored an unbeaten century against South Africa in his last ODI innings, is a surprise exclusion from the ODI squad for the Afghanistan series. Ishan Kishan is expected to play a backup opener role to captains Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma.
Mohammed Siraj is another major name missing the squad, having taken just 8 wickets in 9 innings since the conclusion of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Gurnoor Brar, the right-arm pacer from Punjab, has received his maiden ODI call-up despite his poor numbers in the List A cricket.
In the final change, Prince Yadav, who has been among the top contenders for the IPL 2026 Purple Cap, has replaced injured Harshit Rana.
Players IN: Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey
Players OUT: Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana
India ODI squad against Afghanistan:
Shubman Gill (c), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey
Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah rested from Afghanistan Test
India will resume their international campaign starting with one Test match against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh from June 6. As reported earlier, Jasprit Bumrah has been given a rest from both the Test and ODI series for workload management, but very few expected Ravindra Jadeja's absence.
Jadeja will turn 38 later this year and is already retired from the T20Is. He has been India's premier spin option in Tests since Ravichandra Ashwin's retirement in late 2024. However, the veteran all-rounder has struggled to perform at his best level in both Tests and ODIs.
He has picked up just 25 wickets in Tests since 2025, and last claimed a five-fer in October 2024, in a losing cause against New Zealand. In ODIs, Jadeja picked up just one wicket in six innings against New Zealand and South Africa earlier this year.
However, when asked about Jadeja's absence, BCCI's chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the player has been rested for the Tests but didn't provide any reason for the ODI snub.
Playing for Rajasthan Royals, Ravindra Jadeja missed the recent IPL 2026 game against Delhi Capitals due to a minor elbow and knee issue. This might have played a role in the selectors' decision to rest the all-rounder for the Afghanistan series.
