Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah And Mohammed Siraj Likely To Miss One-Off Test vs Afghanistan: Check Details

India's top all-format players are likely to be rested from the one-off Test against Afghanistan, which will take place in June, due to a hectic cricket calendar after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Notably, the Test match between India and Afghanistan will start from June 6, six days after the IPL 2026 final.

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Why Bumrah, Gill miss Afghanistan Test?

Skipper Shubman Gill and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be given a break to manage their workload as the Test match will not be part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. However, the duo is set to be included in a three-match ODI series.

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“There is not much gap between the IPL final and the Afghanistan Test, so the selectors and management will be wary of not burning out the players, as there are three ODIs, then the white-ball series in England," the timesofindia.com quoted a source as saying.

“There are no WTC points in the Afghanistan Test, and the stakeholders need to carefully manage the workload because some of the players would be on the road for close to two months and have a lot of cricket in the remainder of the year," the source added.

However, the situation might change

However, the report further added that the selectors will change their decision depending on how far Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) progress in IPL 2026. A final call is expected to be made during the selection meeting for the Afghanistan series.

After the conclusion of the 19th edition of the IPL, India’s focus will shift firmly to the WTC and ODI World Cup 2027. As a result, the team management is unlikely to risk key players like Bumrah in a low-stakes, one-off Test.

“ODIs and WTC are priority right now, and you want your best players to be fit, fresh and available for the four Tests – two vs Sri Lanka and two vs New Zealand – and the many ODIs. Why even risk a Bumrah for this Test?" said the source.