India may rest top stars for Afghanistan Test, final call with management | Exclusive
Team India's management is considering resting key players like Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah for the one-off Afghanistan Test (June 6–10) due to a packed schedule following IPL 2026. With no WTC points at stake and little turnaround time, workload management is the priority. Fringe players like Gurnoor Brar, Manav Suthar, Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey could earn maiden call-ups instead.
New Delhi: The Indian cricket team faces a packed international calendar after the IPL 2026 concludes on May 31, and the management will monitor workloads before finalising squads for the subsequent assignments. With only a few days separating the IPL final and the one-off Test against Afghanistan (June 6-10), top players might be rested for the red ball contest and play the ODI series that follows instead. TimesofIndia.
com has learnt that the management will make the final decision, but the idea is under discussion, and selectors will monitor how far the regular Test players advance in the IPL. The discussions around it will remain fluid since no World Test Championship points are on offer and there is a strong possibility that star players - including captain Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and other regulars in both ODIs and Tests — will sit out. The situation could well change if, for example, the Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians are not in playoff contention.
With all options on the table, a final call is expected when the selectors finalise the squad for the Test and three ODIs. "There is not much gap between the IPL final and the Afghanistan Test, so the selectors and management will be wary of not burning out the players, as there are three ODIs, then the white-ball series in England. "There are no WTC points in the Afghanistan Test, and the stakeholders need to carefully manage the workload because some of the players would be on the road for close to two months and have a lot of cricket in the remainder of the year.
"ODIs and WTC are priority right now, and you want your best players to be fit, fresh and available for the four Tests - two vs Sri Lanka and two vs New Zealand - and the many ODIs. Why even risk a Bumrah for this Test? " said a source tracking developments.