Indian Men’s team head coach Gautam Gambhir treats the one-off Test against Afghanistan as ‘serious business’, demanding his team's absolute best regardless of its non-World Test Championship (WTC) status. In this transitioning phase, he treats this as a vital testing ground to get his younger players mentally and technically ready for grinding out red-ball cricket before away tours. India ahead has a demanding World Test Championship schedule with contests against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and a home test Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

In 2025, the Indian men’s Test team endured a challenging transitional year, playing 10 matches with 4 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw. India saw a change in leadership with Shubman Gill taking over Test captaincy, but struggled with an inconsistent batting lineup and performances, resulting in a home series loss to South Africa and a mid-table fifth standing in the World Test Championship. BCCI too has been vocal about being watchful of the upcoming test season, getting the most in this transitioning phase, to keep India ahead in red-ball cricket.

“A test match is a test match. I know people talk about this not being a part of the World Test Championship Cycle, but for me, it is a test match, and we need to go out there and win for the country because you don’t differentiate between test matches whether they are part of WTC or not,” said Gambhir.

“I don’t look for excuses”, Gautam Gambhir says he believes on youngsters to achieve better results in WTC cycle

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir said that he does not look for excuses regarding the team's transition phase or the inclusion of younger players in Tests when his team fails. Addressing the media ahead of the India vs Afghanistan one-off Test, he emphasised that the squad possesses sufficient talent to win regardless of experience levels. The India vs. Afghanistan one-off Test match in June 2026 serves as a key transition test for India, allowing the team to integrate younger players and test squad depth as they rebuild for the future.

“I don’t look for excuses. I don’t see the absence of full strength as a reason for where we are. We have enough talent to turn things around, and I am sure we can give ourselves the best possible chance to win the World Test Championship,” said optimistic Gambhir when asked about the recent test failures of India, attributing them to transition.

Gambhir confirmed that Sai Sudharsan will bat at No. 3, stating that the young batter needs a fair chance to prove his skills.