India to host Afghanistan for one-off Test, three ODIs in June: BCCI

Afghanistan will tour India for a one-off Test and three ODIs in June, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Monday.

The series, to be held soon after the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) ends, will mark Afghanistan’s first bilateral series against India since their last meeting in a three-match T20I series in January 2024.

As per a statement by secretary Devajit Saikia, the Test match will be played at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh from June 6 to June 10.

The ODI series will begin on June 14 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, with the subsequent matches scheduled at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow and the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on June 17 and June 20, respectively.

The last time Afghanistan played a Test against India was in June 2018, which marked their debut in Test cricket. In that match, Afghanistan lost to India by an innings and 262 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The three-match ODI series will see batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma return to action for India, with both former captains now featuring only in 50-over internationals after retiring from Tests and T20Is.

In the 50-over format, India and Afghanistan have met four times, with India winning three matches, while the other encounter ended in a tie during the 2018 Asia Cup.

After the series against Afghanistan, Kohli and Rohit will next be seen in action during the white-ball tour of England, which comprises five T20Is and three ODIs, starting from July 1. The ODI leg of the tour will begin on July 14.

Recently, Afghanistan appointed Richard Pybus as their new head coach for all formats. He will join the team ahead of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka in the UAE next month.

Pybus, who has previously coached Pakistan and Bangladesh, has taken over from Jonathan Trott, who stepped down after Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup campaign ended in the league stage.