The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the squad for India’s upcoming Test and ODI matches against Afghanistan, which will get underway right after the end of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 season.
India will play a one-off Test against Afghanistan starting June 6 at the PCA New Stadium in Tira. The match will not be part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. The visitors will also stay back for a three-match ODI series against India between June 14 and 20 in Dharamsala, Lucknow and Chennai respectively.
Amid the exclusion of Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah being rested, and Rishabh Pant losing both his ODI spot and vice-captaincy role, the surprise inclusions were uncapped fast bowler Gurnoor Brar and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, both of whom earned maiden India call-ups.
And that wasn’t all.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that the duo are also being looked at as potential options for India’s ODI World Cup squad.
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Who is Gurnoor Brar?
The six-foot-five right-arm pacer from Punjab, who grew up idolising Dale Steyn and even mimicked his bowling action, was never deeply interested in cricket as a child. Football and tennis were his first loves until a school friend suggested he attend cricket trials because of his height — advice that ultimately changed his life, based on his interview with The Times of India.
Within two years, he found himself bowling to Shubman Gill in the India U-19 setup, with the current India Test and ODI captain quickly taking notice of his talent. Gill helped Brar break into the district team before he progressed to Punjab’s U-23 side, eventually making his List A debut in 2021 and his first-class debut a year later.
Despite modest early returns, Brar caught the attention of Punjab Kings, initially joining as a net bowler in 2023. After impressing Shikhar Dhawan, he was signed as an injury replacement later that season and made his IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants.
But a promising phase was followed by two setbacks. Brar failed to make a major impact on his IPL debut, and weeks later suffered an injury during a domestic T20 league game, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
Once again, Gill stepped in and helped him secure a contract with Gujarat Titans, where Brar found valuable guidance under head coach Ashish Nehra and alongside Kagiso Rabada, with whom he had previously shared the dressing room at Punjab Kings.
After spending a year as a net bowler at GT, Brar was signed for INR 30 lakh ahead of IPL 2025 and retained for the following season, although he is yet to make an appearance for the franchise.
Despite not featuring in the IPL, Brar continued to impress in domestic cricket. He picked up 11 wickets in eight matches during Punjab’s run to the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-finals last season and was also the joint-highest wicket-taker with eight scalps when India A hosted Australia A for two four-day matches in Lucknow in September 2025.
Apart from his white-ball credentials, Brar has also played 18 first-class matches, claiming 52 wickets at an average of 27.30.
It was his height and raw pace that first impressed the selectors, earning him an India A call-up last year. He has since featured in three matches for the Pathways squad.
Speaking about the Punjab pacer, Agarkar said his height and skillset make him an exciting option for the Afghanistan series, while adding that the selectors are also keeping the South Africa ODI World Cup in mind, where conditions are expected to aid bowlers of his type.
Who is Harsh Dubey?
It was impossible for selectors to ignore the Vidarbha all-rounder after his record-breaking Ranji Trophy 2024/25 campaign, where he claimed 69 wickets to help the side lift the title.
That remarkable run earned him two India A call-ups last year and also saw him win the Lala Amarnath Award for Best All-Rounder of the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy season earlier this year. If that wasn’t enough, Dubey later captained Vidarbha to their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title during his first stint as skipper.
Following his domestic heroics, Dubey was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2025 and made his debut against Delhi Capitals. He featured in three matches and picked up five wickets, including the prized scalps of Virat Kohli and Mitchell Marsh, which earned him a retention for the 2026 season, where he has since become a regular feature.
In 2025, Dubey was also picked in the India A squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Qatar, where he scored his maiden T20 fifty before later smashing a career-best 84 in a red-ball India A game against South Africa at home.
With Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel rested, Dubey and Manav Suthar are expected to compete for the spin-bowling all-rounder role in the one-off Test against Afghanistan.