Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey picked for one-off Test against Afghanistan

Suthar featured in only three matches in the last Ranji Trophy, in which he picked up 18 wickets, including a best of 8 for 42 playing for Rajasthan against Chhattisgarh. He also scored 120 and bagged seven wickets in the match against Himachal. Suthar also featured in the second unofficial Test against Australia A in September last year, which India A won, picking up 5 for 107 and 3 for 50.

"That is the role we are looking at anyway," chief seelctor Ajit Agarkar said on Dubey and Brar's selections. "With the Test team, we can see there is a lot of transition happening at this point. We are looking at options. A couple of players have moved away from Test cricket... We want guys who can contribute with the bat down the order but also have the necessary skill to be a front-line spin or a front-line seam bowler. We think he certainly fits the bill. We are hopeful that when he gets that opportunity, he shows what he can do. We have seen enough over the last couple of years, maybe a little bit more. He seems to have the necessary skill to succeed at this level."

KL Rahul takes over the vice-captaincy for the red-ball format, from Rishabh Pant. "KL has been Test captain before," Agarkar noted. "Obviously, Rishabh was vice-captain and we wanted him to be the best batter he can... So, no, there's no reason [for the change in vice-captaincy]. That's the best option we think at this point we have as far as vice-captain with experience [is concerned].

"We saw during the South African series as well when Shubman [Gill] got injured. And KL provides us the necessary experience you need in case the situation arises. Plus, he has obviously had a really good tour of England and against the West Indies," he reasoned.

"Rishabh is an incredible Test player. Obviously, he is not part of the one-day squad at the moment... I don't think there is any concern with his spot in the Test team. I think he is one of our main batters in that line-up. He had a really good tour of England until he got injured. I am sure he would like a few more [white-ball] runs, but he has always been very good in Test cricket," Agarkar said.

J&K pacer Auqib Nabi Dar, who was the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy, starring in his team's historic maiden triumph with 60 scalps at an average of 12.57, did not make the 15-member squad. Those numbers made a strong case for his selection, but the expected conditions for a one-off game meant there was not a lot of incentive to pick an extra seamer.

"Auqib Nabi, of course, is someone who has had a great season, not just now but last season as well. There's always a chat around that but you don't necessarily pick a lot of seamers when you pick a Test team in India. He was close, but at this point we have gone with the three that we have picked. But there was certainly a chat around that. There is no doubt that he has had some incredible performances for Jammu and Kashmir."

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