India Back in Test Mode After IPL 2026, Management Focuses on Restoring Players’ Routines Ahead of Afghanistan Only Test
India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan is set to begin on June 6 in New Chandigarh, and the Indian team has already started preparing for the red-ball assignment after the Indian Premier League. The biggest challenge for several players is adjusting from the late-night, high-intensity IPL routine to the earlier schedule and longer demands of Test cricket. During the IPL season, many players were staying up late and starting their mornings much later than usual. Now, they are being asked to wake early, train for longer sessions, and switch from white-ball cricket to the red ball.
The transition is especially demanding because seven players in India’s 15-member Test squad were involved in the IPL 2026 final, representing either Royal Challengers Bengaluru or Gujarat Titans. Captain Shubman Gill, fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, opener Sai Sudharsan, and all-rounder Washington Sundar all featured for Gujarat Titans in the final. Manav Suthar was also part of the GT setup, while Devdutt Padikkal was in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad. This means a large part of the Test group is coming directly from the fatigue of a long IPL campaign into a different format almost immediately.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said the team has put a specific plan in place to help players adapt smoothly to Test cricket. Strength and conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux has been managing workload and training schedules so that the shift from IPL cricket to the Test format becomes easier. According to ten Doeschate, the preparation for IPL and Test cricket is completely different, but the squad has had enough time to begin adjusting.
India trained in the morning on Wednesday, held an afternoon session on Thursday, and then returned to a morning practice on Friday. The Friday session was optional for players. The coaching staff has also deliberately scheduled gym sessions in the morning to help players reset their body clocks and build a routine closer to what Test match conditions require.
Ten Doeschate noted that the players understand their responsibilities well and are already making changes to their habits. In recent days, several players have been arriving early for breakfast and showing signs that they are shifting their sleep and recovery routines. He said the team is full of experienced professionals who know what is needed to perform at a high level, and they are making the necessary adjustments before the match begins.
He also acknowledged that sleep and recovery are among the biggest challenges when moving from IPL cricket back to Test cricket. For the team management, the immediate priority is getting players’ sleep cycles back on track and ensuring they are physically and mentally ready for the red-ball contest against Afghanistan.
India’s Test squad includes Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, and Dhruv Jurel.
