The newly appointed Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elect to bat first in this historical Test match against the Afghanistan team.
Ajinkya Rahane: We’re going to bat first. Looks like a good wicket. There’s some grass but in India it’s important to bat first. Big occasion for both teams. The boys are very confident, especially the last Test we played in Jo’burg. Coming from T20, it’s all about changing your attitude and mindset. Always an honour to captain India. We are not taking them lightly. Kuldeep, Saini, Nair.
Ashgar Stanikzai: “Proud that we are playing the first Test. All the guys have some first-class experience. First one hour, it will be a good wicket for bowling.” He remembers his playing XI!Graciously ends the list with himself.
Teams:
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Shahzad, Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Stanikzai(c), Afsar Zazai(w), Mohammad Nabi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Yamin Ahmadzai, Wafadar
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Lokesh Rahul, Dinesh Karthik(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav