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India Picks Young Left-Arm Spinner for Afghanistan Test

6/7/2026

Summary

India Picks Spinner

India will field a left-arm spinner in the one-off Test against Afghanistan at New Chandigarh on Saturday, choosing either Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha) or Manav Suthar (Rajasthan).
Ajit Agarkar said all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will be rested, Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin attack and Washington Sundar will provide a defensive role.
Dubey claimed 69 Ranji Trophy wickets in 2024-25 and Ravichandran Ashwin praised Suthar’s revs while tracking Dubey’s progress.

Summary

Young All-rounder Rises

His Ranji season yielded 69 wickets and 469 runs, thrusting 22-year-old into Test contention.
After being dropped from Vidarbha’s squad, he captained the side to a Vijay Hazare Trophy title in 2025, crediting Ravichandran Ashwin’s Chennai league guidance for sharpening his crease use and variations.
He refined his mindset after a conversation with Ravindra Jadeja and welcomed working under head coach Gautam Gambhir, recalling the coach’s 2011 World Cup-final innings.

History

Historical Context

Harbhajan Singh’s 32-wicket haul in the 2000-01 home series against Australia sparked a spin renaissance that reshaped India’s talent pipeline. Decades later, the 2024-25 Ranji season sees spinners like Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar emerging, while veterans such as Ravichandran Ashwin push for their Test recall in the national side.

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India Picks Spinner

India will field a left-arm spinner in the one-off Test against Afghanistan at New Chandigarh on Saturday, choosing either Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha) or Manav Suthar (Rajasthan).
Ajit Agarkar said all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will be rested, Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin attack and Washington Sundar will provide a defensive role.
Dubey claimed 69 Ranji Trophy wickets in 2024-25 and Ravichandran Ashwin praised Suthar’s revs while tracking Dubey’s progress.

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