IND vs AFG One-off Test ​Match Live Cricket Score: India lock horns with Afghanistan in Mullanpur

IND vs AFG One-Off Test Live Score Updates: India take on Afghanistan in Mullanpur.

India (IND) vs Afghanistan (AFG) One-off Test Match Live Cricket Score Updates: With all the T20 cricket going on for almost the last 7 months, including India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup and the travelling caravan that is the Indian Premier League (IPL), the tepid form of Gautam Gambhir’s men in the longest format had taken a backseat. But with the one-off Test against Afghanistan on Saturday, the memories of getting whitewashed by South Africa last November will come rushing back.

With crucial World Test Championships matches at stake later in the year, India will look to find their team balance in this exhibition Test vs the Afghans, a team who were thrashed by the Indians in 2018 when the two teams last met in the red ball format. India have drafted in fresh faces in Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey in the squad and one of them is likely to get the nod to start this match.

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Meanwhile, India’s batting conundrum continues with their No.3 position with both Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal in the mix. Sudharsan has played 6 matches but hasn’t really created an impact in this position. But India are likely to give the batter a long rope and another chance to impress against a relatively inexperienced Afghanistan group.

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The Indian team trains at the New International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday ahead of their one-off Test against Afghanistan. (Express Photo | Kamleshwar Singh)

Why India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan matters more than it seems

A local Punjab pacer who bowled in the Afghanistan nets at the New PCA Stadium on Thursday was treated to a surprise during his stint. “Inka Test squad bilkul alag hai (their Test team is quite different),” he said with evident admiration.

For a young Test nation — just eight years old — the diverse options are noteworthy. Even with a horde of their white-ball superstars not around, there is promise in Hashmatullah Shahidi’s camp. But limitations of having only played a collective 12 Tests sometimes show up in the form of a standard Indian bowler in the nets. “I bowled Rahmanullah Gurbaz twice in the nets,” the young seamer said, detailing his experience to a bowling partner.