Atal, Rahmat, Omarzai return to Afghanistan Test squad

Afghanistan have called up top-order batters Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat Shah for the one-off Test against India. The 15-member squad led by Hashmatullah Shahidi also sees a call-up for star all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai.

Atal and Omarzai have a solitary Test appearance to their name – against Zimbabwe in 2024 – while veteran Rahmat Shah has played 11 of the 12 Tests that Afghanistan have played so far, missing only their most recent one-off Test against Zimbabwe late last year.

In Rashid's absence, Qais Ahmad is likely to spearhead the spin department alongside left-arm spinners Sharafuddin Ashraf and Nangeyalia Kharote.

The one-off Test will be played in New Chandigarh between June 6 to 10.

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

The squad for the three-match ODI series, which begins in Dharamsala on June 14, wears a rather familiar look from the squad that swept the series against Bangladesh in October last year. Left-arm seamer Fareed Malik, who last played an ODI in 2024, is a notable new addition.

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