Following the announcement of the selection for the three-match Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan, all-rounder Krunal Pandya hinted at a possible rejection from joining the Indian team.
On September 1, India’s selectors announced a 15-man team for the three-match Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan. Shreyas Iyer will captain the team, with Tilak Varma as his deputy. The games will take place at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 13, 15, and 17. Due to their recent tour of England, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, and Washington Sundar have fitness issues. They will only participate if they are cleared.
Krunal Pandya took to Instagram after the roster was announced to reaffirm his commitment to playing for India in the future.
Why was Axar Patel kept by the selection instead of Krunal Pandya?
After two outstanding seasons in the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he was instrumental in keeping the team balanced as they won two IPL titles, calls for Krunal Pandya inclusion in the Indian squad have grown. Over the course of two seasons, he has taken 31 wickets and made useful contributions with the bat. Regardless of his IPL performance, Krunal Pandya five-year hiatus from international cricket seems to have worked against him.
Despite his mediocre returns during his tours in England and Ireland, Axar Patel maintained his position in the squad. He took two wickets in his two Twenty20 International matches against Ireland and two more in his four matches against England, for a total of four wickets from seven games. Despite those figures, the selectors opted for continuity rather than a recall, maintaining Axar, Ravi Bishnoi, and Varun Chakaravarthy as the main spin options. Washington Sundar is also in the picture, subject to fitness.
Before the Afghanistan series starts, which players must pass fitness tests?
Bumrah sustained a knee injury during India’s ODI series in England, and the results of his medical evaluation will determine whether or not he can play in the Afghanistan matches. While Sundar injured his hamstring in the third ODI of the same series, Rana’s condition is as dubious following a Grade 1 hamstring strain in the third T20I of the England visit. Conditional selection is indicated by an asterisk next to each of the three names in the squad.
Due to a leg ailment that delayed his comeback to competitive cricket, Hardik Pandya was also left out of the team. His most recent outing for India was in the T20 World Cup final on March 8. He had last played for the Mumbai Indians on May 24. The starting lineup that plays in New Delhi may be very different from the declared roster because four players are either injured or conditionally selected.
India’s team for the Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*
