India will face Afghanistan for just the second time in Test cricket, and the first time since 2018, in June, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Monday. The Test will be the first part of Afghanistan’s tour of India, with the match being followed by three ODIs. It will also be the first time that a Test match will be played in the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. The board said that the Test match will be played from June 6. “Afghanistan will play one Test match followed by a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series. The Test match will be played in New Chandigarh from June 6 to June 10, 2026. The ODI series will commence on June 14, 2026, in Dharamshala, with the subsequent matches scheduled in Lucknow and Chennai. All ODI matches will begin at 1:30 PM IST,” said the BCCI. The last Test match between the two sides also marked Afghanistan’s debut in the format. It was played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, with India being led by Ajinkya Rahane and Afghanistan by Asghar Afghan. Centuries from openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, and a quickfire 71 off 94 balls by Hardik Pandya, helped India get to a score of 474 batting first. Both of Afghanistan’s innings then ended inside the second day itself. They made 109 runs in their first innings and were then all out for 103 in the second. India won the match by an innings and 262 runs and it was the shortest Test by days at the time in the subcontinent. It was also India’s biggest-ever innings victory. Since then, Afghanistan have played 11 Tests. They have notably won three, including two back to back wins after their inaugural match against India against Ireland and Bangladesh in 2019 and against Zimbabwe in January 2025. The latter of those marked Afghanistan’s first victory in a Test series that contained more than one match, having drawn the first Test in December 2024.
India to face Afghanistan in a Test match for just the 2nd time, first in eight years
