India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Tuesday, 19 May confirmed that the selection of pacers Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav in India's ODI squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan was a deliberate, forward-looking move aimed at building depth ahead of the 2027 Men's ODI World Cup, to be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Speaking at a virtual press conference in Guwahati, Agarkar described the Afghanistan series as a timely window to assess players who could become key contributors over the next two years.

Why Gurnoor and Prince Got the Call

The absence of frontline pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana — due to a combination of workload management and injuries — opened the door for both youngsters. Agarkar, however, was clear that their inclusions were not merely stop-gap measures.

Prince Yadav was the standout domestic performer, claiming 18 wickets in eight matches for Delhi in the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy at an average of 19.27, finishing as Delhi's leading wicket-taker and the fifth-highest wicket-taker overall in the tournament. He carried that form into IPL 2026, picking up 16 scalps for the Lucknow Super Giants.

Gurnoor Brar, a tall right-arm pacer who has been a regular in the India 'A' set-up and also earned a Test call-up for the one-off match in New Chandigarh, took 11 wickets in eight matches in the same Vijay Hazare Trophy. He is yet to feature for the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026.

Agarkar's Assessment: Building for South Africa

'This was a good opportunity. There have been a couple of injuries around, and we have not picked Bumrah for this team,' Agarkar said. 'With Gurnoor, we have seen a lot of promise over the last season and a half — a tall guy with a bit of pace. Keeping the South African World Cup in mind, we are obviously going to try a few guys who at that point might be useful if they keep developing.'

On Prince, Agarkar added: 'Prince Yadav has shown a lot of promise through the domestic season. He had a really good Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has bowled well in the IPL and has grown a lot as a bowler over the last year or so. He has the necessary skills to succeed with the white ball.'

Agarkar also hinted that more new faces could be trialled across upcoming series: 'There might be a few more we try over the course of the next few series, and these two are the ones that we have zeroed in on at this point.'

Harsh Dubey Earns Dual Call-Up

Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey received call-ups to both the ODI and Test squads. Dubey played a pivotal role in Vidarbha winning the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy and captained the side to the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy title, in addition to being a consistent presence in the India 'A' set-up.

'In one-day cricket, you want guys who can contribute with the bat down the order but also have the necessary skill to be a frontline spinner or a frontline seam bowler. We think he certainly fits the bill,' Agarkar said. 'He has shown it aplenty in domestic cricket over the last couple of years.'

Sooryavanshi to Continue With India A

Teenage left-handed opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will not be rushed into senior ODI cricket just yet. Agarkar confirmed the youngster will continue gaining exposure with the India A side, including the 50-over tri-series in Sri Lanka from 9–21 June.

'Someone so young and obviously showing so much promise — you keep trying to give them exposure wherever you can,' Agarkar said, noting that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is not currently part of the ODI set-up, scored a century against South Africa the last time he played for India. 'As impressive as Sooryavanshi has been, there are other guys who have done as well for India.' With the Afghanistan series serving as a live audition, the selectors' next few decisions will sharpen India's World Cup blueprint considerably.