India have announced their squads for the series against Afghanistan, with one highlight being the absence of the domestic giant Auqib Nabi, who has taken over 100 scalps in the last two Ranji Trophy seasons.
Why has Auqib Nabi been omitted?
India’s Test squad will be led by Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul taking over the vice-captaincy reins from Rishabh Pant. Three new faces have also been called up in Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar.
The one big absence is that of Auqib Nabi, long been termed as India’s next Test debutant. The Jammu and Kashmir quick led his team to a maiden Ranji Trophy this year, capping two seasons of excellence, where he picked up 104 scalps at 13.14 across 18 matches.
Nabi, bought for INR 8.4 crore in the IPL auction in 2025, made his debut for Delhi Capitals this season, but has yet to pick up a wicket across four matches. On Tuesday (May 19), he found himself missing from India’s squad for the one-off Test.
Explaining the omission, Ajit Agarkar, India’s chief selector, confirmed that his name did come up for selection: “Someone who has done well last two seasons, there's always a chat around that, but you don't get a lot of seamers in when you play in India.”
However, Agarkar’s statement is contrary: they have picked Brar instead, who has 52 wickets from 18 matches since his first-class debut in 2022. A right-arm seamer, Agarkar highlighted his height - he stands tall at 6ft 5 in - as an advantage. Brar can bowl around 145 kmph consistently and has perfected the art of reverse swing, while Nabi is a touch slower, bowling between 125 and 135 kmph.
Spotted by Gill, Brar impressed in the India A 'Tests' against Australia A last year, where he picked up eight wickets in three innings, bowling 41.2 overs. No other pacer picked up more than five wickets and bowled over 20 overs in the series, also an indication of his ability to send down long spells. In the recent Ranji Trophy, he got 23 wickets from four matches at 21.26.
The Test begins on June 6, to be held in Chandigarh.
India’s squad for the IND-AFG Test series
Shubman Gill (c), Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel.
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