India, June 5 -- Afghanistan may enter their one-off Test against India as underdogs, but head coach Richard Pybus sees the contest as an important opportunity to assess the team's growth as they build towards a stronger future in the longest format.

The match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in New Chandigarh will be Afghanistan's first Test since October 2025, when they suffered an innings-and-73-run defeat to Zimbabwe in Harare. The long gap between matches highlights one of the biggest challenges facing Afghanistan's Test ambitions - a lack of regular fixtures.

"Our challenge in Test cricket is, first and foremost, getting more fixtures so we can continue to evolve as a team," Pybus said ahead of the match.

The former Sout...