India vs Afghanistan 2026 Test: Live Score, Streaming Info & Playing XI

The long‑awaited Test showdown between India and Afghanistan finally kicked off in early 2026, and fans have been glued to their screens ever since. If you’re still figuring out how to follow the action, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with the basics, the streaming options and a quick glance at the squads.

First things first, where can you actually watch it? In India the match has been televised on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 2, with the commentary team giving you the usual mix of stats and banter. If you prefer streaming, the official partner is Disney+ Hotstar – just log in, pick the cricket tab and you’re set. Outside the sub‑continent, the game is being aired on Sky Sports Cricket in the UK and Willow TV in the US, both of which also offer a live‑stream on their websites.

Now, onto the numbers. The live scorecard updates every few seconds, showing runs, wickets, overs and the current run‑rate. At the end of Day 1 India were 245/4, thanks to a solid half‑century from Shubman Gill and a quickfire cameo by Rahul Tripathi. Afghanistan, on the other hand, posted a respectable 182/5, with Rashid Khan unbeaten on 68. The momentum swung back and forth, and by the close of Day 3 the match was delicately balanced – India at 378/7 and Afghanistan just shy of the target at 352/9.

Who’s actually playing? Both teams have named a 15‑man squad, but the playing‑XI for the first innings looked something like this:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rahul Tripathi, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Navdeep Saini.

Afghanistan: Asghar Afghan (c), Najibullah Zadran, Rahmanullah Yasir, Rahmat Shah, Sami Gul, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nawaz, Qais Ahmad, Mirwais Ashraf, Fazal Zazai and the leg‑spinner Hamid Saeed.

There have been a few surprise changes too – Rashid Khan was left out of the XI for the first innings, likely a tactical move to keep him fresh for the spin‑friendly second innings. India, meanwhile, shuffled the order a bit, pushing Pandya up to number 5 to add some extra firepower.

Beyond the numbers, the match has provided plenty of drama. The pitch at the venue has been a bit of a roller‑coaster – good bounce early on, then slowing down to assist the spinners as the days progressed. That’s why both captains have been rotating their bowlers carefully, trying to extract the most out of each spell.

If you’re tracking the game on a mobile app, you’ll notice the “live‑updates” feed peppered with short commentary snippets – “Gill drives beautifully through the covers” or “Khan’s off‑spin curls back in”. Those little bits add a lot of colour, especially when you can’t watch the full broadcast.

In short, whether you’re a die‑hard fan with a subscription, a casual viewer catching highlights on YouTube, or someone just scrolling the live‑score on your phone, the India‑Afghanistan Test is delivering everything you’d expect from a modern cricket contest – high stakes, shifting fortunes and a few unexpected twists. Keep an eye on the final day; a win for either side will feel sweet, but a draw could be just as dramatic given how closely matched the two teams have been.