Fans took to X to react to India’s playing XI without the likes of former spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin or all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The Indian team are taking on Afghanistan in a one-off Test starting
on Saturday, June 6 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The Indian side has stepped in with their full-fledged Test team under the captaincy of Shubman Gill.
Not only this, but the side handed Test debut to Manav Suthar, an all-rounder from Rajasthan. Suthar has become the first specialist spinner to debut for India in Tests since 2021, Axar Patel. However, this is also the first time in 15 years that India have fielded a home Test XI without either former spinning wizard Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja. The previous such instance came against New Zealand in Nagpur in November 2010. Since then, either one of the two had featured in 69 of India’s home Test games.
With Suthar’s debut, India got their 319th Test player for India, and it comes at a crucial stage since the side is preparing their fourth spinner for the Sri Lanka tour. Suthar and Harsh Dubey are competing for the fourth spot with the rest three being taken by Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.
Fans react to Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin’s absence from playing XI for the first time in 15 years
Needless to say, the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin left fans nostalgic, and they took to X to express the same. Here’s how they reacted-
We are not used to playing home Test matches without Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. It truly feels like a new era. pic.twitter.com/kE3Idbibcg
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) June 6, 2026
Team India is playing a home Test without either Ravindra Jadeja or R Ashwin in the XI for the first time since November 2010 (16 years) - a gap of 69 Tests 😲 pic.twitter.com/UhqK4loIUb
— Barca man 💙❤️ (@TechnoG17290786) June 6, 2026
Ravindra jadeja in his last 10innings- -Runs: 609 -Wickets: 15 -Average: 121.8 -100s: 2 -50s: 5 -Highest Score: 107 Still dropped from the team 💔, This is no more an Indian team, it's GT and Gautam Gambhir lobby where relations matters more than performances. pic.twitter.com/WIf5BQ353d
— Mahi Shankar (@Itz_Ms7) June 6, 2026
I can't even recall when was the last time India played a home test match without both Ravindra Jadeja & Ravi Ashwin. They literally made India our fortress for a decade. Can you recall @ashwinravi99?
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) June 6, 2026
Why Is Ravindra Jadeja Missing the Afghanistan Test? • Suffered an injury during IPL 2026 • Selectors decided to rest him for the one-off Test • First home Test in 15 years without Ashwin or Jadeja • Kuldeep Yadav likely to lead India's spin attack. pic.twitter.com/b1PHViOEjf
— Cricket Hub (@Anurag9793) June 6, 2026
You have big shoes to fill, of one of our greatest in test cricket, Ravindra Jadeja Go well Manav Suthar…🇮🇳❤️ Make the nation proud ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/9KCakJOuZJ
— Arnav. (@TheDrArnav) June 6, 2026
India won the toss, and decided to opt for bat first. At the time of writing, they were batting at 96-1 in 25 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal walked back to the hut following a 24-run knock, while KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan were batting at 37 and 32, respectively.
