Rajesh Dhar of Jammu and Kashmir has been appointed manager of the India men’s cricket team for the upcoming Test and ODI series against Afghanistan.

The tour starts with a one‑off Test at Maharaja Yadavindra International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) from June 6–10, followed by three ODIs on June 13 (Dharamshala), June 17 (Lucknow) and June 20 (Chennai).

A physical educationist and BCCI Level‑I certified coach, Dhar brings wide domestic experience to the role. He has served the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association(JKCA) in numerous capacities, including Ranji Trophy team manager, senior women’s team manager, Under‑23 men’s team manager, Under‑19 coach and assistant coach of JKCA’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 side.

Dhar also works as a Physical Education Lecturer with the Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS).

A familiar face in J&K cricket circles, Dhar has been a player, coach, commentator, mentor, lecturer and sports columnist.

Former Member Administration of JKCA, Brig. Anil Gupta, congratulated Dhar and called his appointment a proud moment for sports lovers in the region.

Dhar expressed his deep gratitude to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), led by Mithun Manhas, for granting him the prestigious opportunity to serve the national team. He thanked the BCCI for bestowing this international honour.

India Test squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice‑captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant(wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wk).

India ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma*, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice‑captain),KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.

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