Afghanistan announced a 15-member squad led by Hashmatullah Shahidi for the match scheduled from June 6–10 in New Chandigarh, but the star leg-spinner was once again missing from the red-ball setup.
Rashid’s continued absence follows recent concerns over his fitness, with Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus previously stressing the importance of prioritising the spinner’s long-term health over Test cricket commitments.
Without Rashid, Afghanistan are expected to rely on Qais Ahmad to lead the spin department alongside left-arm spinners Sharafuddin Ashraf and Nangeyalia Kharote.
The squad also includes recalls for Rahmat Shah and Sediqullah Atal, while all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has also been named in the side.
The squad for the three-match ODI series, which starts in Dharamsala on June 14, largely remains unchanged from the side that completed a clean sweep against Bangladesh in October last year. The main addition is left-arm pacer Fareed Malik, who returns to the ODI setup after last featuring in the format in 2024.
Test Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi
Reserves: Bashir Ahmad, Bashir Shah, Ismat Alam
ODI Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, AM Ghazanfar, Zia ur Rahman, Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami
Reserves: Qais Ahmad, Saleem Safi, Bashir Ahmad
