Less than a week after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League’s 19th season, the Indian team will be switching to the classical format when it takes on Afghanistan in a one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium from Saturday.

Such little turnaround time between formats is a persistent demand of modern-day cricket for Indian players in particular, but head coach Gautam Gambhir said that the focus from now will be on ensuring more extensive preparation leading up to a Test assignment.

India’s fortunes in the longest format have plummeted over the last two years. Having been whitewashed by New Zealand at home in 2024, the subcontinent giant suffered a similar fate at the hands of South Africa last November. In the current World Test Championship cycle, Shubman Gill & Co. are languishing at sixth in the standings.

While India is expected to brush aside Afghanistan easily, it has challenging away tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand later in the year.

“Look, we are a little fortunate that we have got enough time before Sri Lanka. After the white-ball tour of England, we have about a 15-day break before Sri Lanka. So that is enough time to prepare for those two Tests,” Gambhir told reporters on the eve of the Test against Afghanistan.

“We might have to prepare a little differently for New Zealand. Because between the last ODI there and the first Test in Wellington, there is a three-day gap. So we will have to pull out ODI players who are part of the Test squad.

“Because one thing we realised is that we need to start preparing better in red-ball cricket. And that was something that was lacking against the West Indies and also against South Africa. And that is something which we are going to do going forward,” the 44-year-old added.