Prince is part of the ODI squad for the three-match series following the Test, while Nabi was a strong contender for the Test squad after his impressive performances for Jammu and Kashmir in the last couple of seasons, especially in their maiden Ranji Trophy triumph earlier this year. He was the leading wicket-taker, taking 60 wickets at an average of 12.56, and was named the Player of the Tournament. But he failed to make the cut as the selectors picked only three seamers, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar.

“You do not necessarily pick a lot of seamers when you pick a Test team in India,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said at the time. “And he was close. But at this point, we have gone with the three that we have picked.”

This is only the second Test between India and Afghanistan. The other was back in 2018 in Bengaluru, Afghanistan’s inaugural Test, which ended in a victory for the hosts by an innings and 262 runs inside two days.