India will be playing Afghanistan in an upcoming one-off Test match which will be held in the Mullanpur Stadium, New Chandigarh on Saturday. It will be the second time these two countries will be playing each other in Tests.

 

The previous Test cricket match between India and Afghanistan took place way back in 2018. Similar case as we see now, it was a one-off match and also the first Test debut for Afghanistan. But over here, eight years has passed and there have been certain changes in Indian cricket which people may not even know.

 

What’s more, only KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav who were a part of that team are still playing in the current Indian side. The rest of the players are all new, as if it was time to start anew.

 

Indian test team of 2018 AFG Test and where are they now

 

Ajinkya Rahane

 

Ajinkya Rahane captained India in the 2018 Test against Afghanistan. He’s an experienced batter, but he hasn’t played Test cricket for India since 2023, and honestly he’s not in the national team plans right now.

 

Rahane recently led Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 and is now involved with the Mumbai T20 League, kind of switching gears.

 

Shikhar Dhawan

 

Shikhar Dhawan, the former India opener, called time on international cricket in August 2024. He’s not with India anymore, but Dhawan is still active in franchise cricket and is currently showing up in the Big Cricket League.

 

Murali Vijay

 

Murali Vijay retired from international cricket in January 2023.The former opener is mostly away from serious competitive cricket now, but he was recently spotted doing Tamil commentary during IPL 2026 broadcasts.

 

KL Rahul

 

KL Rahul is one of only two players from the 2018 squad who will again be part of the upcoming Test vs Afghanistan. Rahul continues to be a key piece in India’s Test team, and he’s been training along with the squad in New Chandigarh.

 

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Cheteshwar Pujara

 

Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2025. He was, in many ways, one of India’s most steady Test batters. Now he’s moved into commentary, and was seen working during IPL 2026.

 

Karun Nair

 

Karun Nair’s story since 2018 has had plenty of swings , ups and downs, and then some. After spending years away from the national scene, he got a comeback chance after a strong domestic run in 2024-25. He came back to India during the England tour in 2025.

 

But it didn’t fully click for him. Nair was also in the Delhi Capitals squad in IPL 2026, though that season went tough for him.

 

Wriddhiman Saha

 

Wriddhiman Saha, the former wicketkeeper-batter, retired from international cricket in February 2025. Since then, he moved into coaching and is now the head coach of Bengal’s Under-23 unit.

 

Ravichandran Ashwin

 

Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket in December 2024, during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

 

Ashwin, one of India’s biggest match-winning spinners in Tests, is now active as a commentator. He also runs a widely watched YouTube channel, where he keeps sharing his thoughts on cricket, more often than people expect.

 

Ravindra Jadeja

 

Ravindra Jadeja is still a major part of India’s Test setup.

 

But for this Afghanistan Test, he’s been rested. The team management wants to look at other spin options before the next set of assignments.

 

Still, even if he misses this one, Jadeja stays among India’s key red-ball players.

 

Kuldeep Yadav

 

Kuldeep Yadav is the second player, after KL Rahul, who features in both the 2018 and 2026 squads against Afghanistan. The left-arm spinner has become one of India’s leading spin bowlers, and he’s currently preparing for the match at Mullanpur.

 

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Umesh Yadav

 

Umesh Yadav hasn’t played Test cricket for India since 2023. Still, he stays active in domestic cricket, and recently worked as a commentator during IPL 2026. Right now he’s playing in the Vidarbha Premier League, and the tournament start has been decent for him.

 

Mohammed Shami

 

Mohammed Shami remains one of India’s top fast bowling options, but injuries have taken a toll on his recent international run.

 

Because of that, his absence from the Afghanistan Test squad sparked plenty of talk among fans. Recently, Shami turned out for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026 and had a productive season.

 

Hardik Pandya

 

Hardik Pandya was once viewed as a key all-format player for India. But recurring back issues forced him to focus mainly on limited-overs cricket. He hasn’t played Test cricket since 2018.

 

Pandya is now recovering from injury and is expected to come back for India’s upcoming ODI matches.

 

Ishant Sharma

 

Veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma hasn’t played a Test match for India since 2021.

 

He is still active in cricket, but he’s no longer part of India’s current plans. Ishant was part of the Gujarat Titans setup in IPL 2026, however he didn’t get a game.

 

Shardul Thakur

 

Shardul Thakur is another name that has fallen out of India’s Test thinking.

 

His last India appearance came in 2025 vs England. Right now he’s playing domestic T20 cricket and continuing efforts to make a comeback, step by step.

 

A Squad That Shows How Fast Things Change

 

In this regard, India's Test squad for Afghanistan in 2018 clearly reflects the dynamics of cricket. Quite a lot of players have left the scene, while some have become commentators and coaches while others still want to come back and represent India.

 

Hence, coming to the point now, with India and Afghanistan set to meet in a Test match after eight long years, there are only two cricketers left from the Indian team who played in that 2018 Test squad – KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav.

 

Thus, this Test series for India and Afghanistan will definitely not just be a part of their cricket history; rather it will also indicate how far India has progressed in the eight years since then.