India v Afghanistan Test Prediction, Tips and Bet Builder

India are red-hot favourites to beat Afghanistan in their one-off Test match which starts in New Chandigarh on Saturday.

The teams have met just once before in this format, in Afghanistan's inaugural Test match back in June 2018, when India romped to victory by an innings and 262 runs in Bengaluru.

India v Afghanistan Test Tips Summary

Best Bet - Rahmat Shah to score over 39.5 runs @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Azmatullah Omarzai to hit most sixes for Afghanistan @ 17/2
Bet Builder - Yashasvi Jaiswal top India first-innings batter, Kuldeep Yadav 3+ wickets & Ziaur Rahman 2+ wickets @ 13/2

India v Afghanistan Test Prediction

Best Bet: Rahmat Shah to score over 39.5 runs @ 5/6

Afghanistan have played only 12 matches in eight years since being granted Test status and they are huge underdogs to beat India in New Chandigarh.

India's formidable home record has been dented after they lost 3-0 to New Zealand in 2024 and 2-0 to South Africa in November 2025.

They claimed a creditable 2-2 draw in England last summer, in Shubman Gill's first series as captain, but Afghan batter Rahmat Shah could provide some resistance to their bowlers.

Rahmat is one of his nation's most experienced Test cricketers, playing 11 matches and he has an excellent batting average of 46.

He made 91 and 54 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in February 2024 and racked up an amazing 392 runs in three innings in his last Test series against Zimbabwe.

Rahmat made ODI scores of 50 and nine not out in his most recent international series against Bangladesh and should make 40 or more match runs.

Alternative Bet: Azmatullah Omarzai to hit most sixes for Afghanistan @ 17/2

Azmatullah Omarzai was dismissed for a first-ball duck in his first Test innings against Zimbabwe, but he has showcased his batting talent in white-ball cricket.

The all-rounder, one of Afghanistan's most talented players, played three IPL games for Punjab Kings this season.

Azmatullah scored 38 off 17 balls in the first of those matches, hitting four sixes, and he looks a good bet to clear the ropes more often than his team-mates in New Chandigarh.

He has hit 46 sixes in only 34 ODI innings and should have licence to play his natural game in the middle-order.

India v Afghanistan Test Bet Builder Tip

• Yashasvi Jaiswal top India first-innings batter

• Kuldeep Yadav 3+ wickets

• Ziaur Rahman 2+ wickets

  Pays 13/2

Both of India's openers scored centuries in their 2018 rout of Afghanistan and Yashasvi Jaiswal can lead their charge in the first innings.

The left-hander has reached 50 in 11 of his 21 home Test innings at the top of the order, including two double centuries against England in 2024.

India left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has the third-best career strike-rate of any bowler in Test history, taking a wicket every 38 balls on average. He is a solid bet to claim three or more wickets.

Afghan seamer Ziaur Rahman could trouble the home batters, having picked up seven wickets on his Test debut against Zimbabwe in October 2025.

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Key Match Stats

• Yashasvi Jaiswal's seven Test centuries include scores of 161, 171, 175, 209 and 214 not out

• India have lost 10 of their last 17 Test matches

• Kuldeep Yadav has taken four or more wickets in 14 of his 17 Test appearances

• Rahmat Shah has scored 234, 19 and 139 in his last three Test innings

• Hashmatullah Shahidi's 36 not out was Afghanistan's highest score in their 2018 Test defeat to India

• Only one of Afghanistan's first 12 Test matches ended in a draw

Tactics, Form and Team News

India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been rested after his lean IPL campaign for Mumbai Indians.

All-rounders Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are likely to be preferred to middle-order batter Dhruv Jurel.

Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal are competing for the number three spot, while fast bowler Gurnoor Brar could make his Test debut if Mohammed Siraj is rested.

Predicted India XI: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (c), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Harsh Dubey, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna.

Afghanistan have rested star leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who played for Gujarat Titans in last week's IPL final, so Qais Ahmad has been recalled.

Opening batter Ibrahim Zadran has also been left out of the Test squad as he continues to recover from a leg injury.

The uncapped Nangyal Kharotai, Bilal Sami and Rahmanullah Zadran have been called up.

Predicted Afghanistan XI: 1 Abdul Malik, 2 Sediqullah Atal, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), 5 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 6 Afsar Zazai (wk), 7 Azmatullah Omarzai, 8 Sharafudin Ashraf, 9 Qais Ahmad, 10 Ziaur Rahman, 11 Mohammad Saleem Safi.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.