Afghanistan set for India tour featuring one Test and three ODIs in June

Afghanistan will tour India in June 2026 for a short series featuring a one-off Test followed by three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Monday. The tour will mark Afghanistan’s return to India for a bilateral assignment and will be India’s first series after the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

 

The one-off Test will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh from June 6 to June 10. After the red-ball contest, the two sides will play a three-match ODI series across Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Chennai.

 

Test scheduled in New Chandigarh

According to the BCCI press release, the tour will begin with a Test in New Chandigarh.

 

“Afghanistan will play one Test followed by a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series. The Test will be played in New Chandigarh from June 6 to June 10, 2026,” the press release read.

 

The match, however, will not be part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle. Despite that, the fixture will offer Afghanistan another opportunity to gain valuable experience in the longest format against one of the world’s strongest Test sides. 

Only the second Test between the two nations

The one-off Test in June will be only the second between India and Afghanistan. The first took place in Bengaluru in June 2018, where India secured a dominant victory by an innings and 262 runs.

 

Interestingly, the fixture will also be just the second Test to be played in India during the month of June, with the previous instance also being the India–Afghanistan Test in Bengaluru eight years ago.

Afghanistan tour of India: Full schedule

Match	Format	Venue	Date	Time (IST)
1st Match	Test	New Chandigarh	June 6–10	9:30 AM
2nd Match	1st ODI	Dharamshala	June 14	1:30 PM
3rd Match	2nd ODI	Lucknow	June 17	1:30 PM
4th Match	3rd ODI	Chennai	June 20	1:30 PM

First bilateral ODI series between the sides

The upcoming Afghanistan tour of India will also mark the first bilateral ODI series between the two sides. The teams have previously faced each other in ODIs only during multi-nation tournaments such as the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Asia Cup.

 

Across formats, their most recent meeting came during the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024.

Busy schedule ahead for both teams

The India–Afghanistan series will begin just six days after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final, which is scheduled to take place on May 31.

 

While India will start their international season after the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan will head into the tour following a home series against Sri Lanka in the UAE that includes three T20Is and three ODIs.

 

After hosting Afghanistan, India will quickly move into another busy phase of international cricket, with a tour of England scheduled from July 1 to July 19, featuring five T20Is and three ODIs.