Afghanistan have announced their squads for the upcoming tour of India. The selection has drawn significant attention after star spinner Rashid Khan was left out of the Test setup. The spinner previously noted that playing red-ball cricket is slightly problematic for him, as bowling long spells can injure his body easily. Keeping that in mind, the selectors didnโt pick him for the one-off Test, but added him for the limited-overs leg of the tour.
In the meantime, Hashmatullah Shahidi will continue to lead Afghanistan in both formats as the side prepares for a challenging assignment away from home. The ODI squad carries a familiar core, with the management appearing focused on long-term planning ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah and Rahmanullah Gurbaz remain central figures in the batting order alongside Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai. Afghanistan have also retained faith in their spin-heavy attack, with Rashid expected to shoulder major responsibility during the ODI series.
Allah Ghazanfar has been included as another spin option, while Nangyal Kharoti, Qais Ahmad and Sharafudin Ashraf add further depth to the bowling resources available for the India tour.
When it comes to the Test squad,ย it includes Abdul Malik, Rahmanullah Zadran and Afsar Zazai, while Qais Ahmad and Sharafudin Ashraf are among the spin options selected for the longer format. Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi and Saleem Safi have also been named as part of the pace resources for the series.
Afghanistan ODI, Test squads
Afghanistan ODI squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Ghazanfar, Zia-ur-Rahman, Sharifi Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami.
Afghanistan Test squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharoti, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi
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