India’s sidelined all rounder Krunal Pandya encountered another selection oversight as the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced squad for the home assignment against Afghanistan. Selectors overlooked the left arm spinner despite stellar domestic performances, opting instead to retain Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, though the latter inclusion comes with fitness caveats. Refusing to let the omission crush his ambitions, Krunal took to social media with a resilient message stating, ‘Hope is still alive’ alongside an Indian flag and a fingers crossed emoji.
Discussions among selectors reportedly weighed his inclusion as a potential alternative for Axar, but management chose to give the incumbent another opportunity. Domestic Dominance And Franchise Success Strong arguments supported a recall given his instrumental role in helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru secure back to back Indian Premier League titles. International exile has stretched across five years for the player, who last represented the country during a tour of Sri Lanka in 2021. He claimed 17 scalps during the 2025 tournament and added another 14 wickets in the 2026 edition. Lower order contributions with the bat proved equally valuable, yielding 226 runs across nine innings at an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 145.80, which featured a half century.
Of course, I am human and there is disappointment at times. But, you have to remind yourself why you started playing cricket. I have immense love for the sport, and that’s what keeps me going. He further noted, ‘Yeah, hope is always there, right? I am hopeful that I’ll get the opportunity again to play for the country. Fingers crossed, but I am hopeful. The full India squad features Shreyas Iyer as captain alongside Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana.
Earlier in the year, the 35 year old athlete addressed ongoing speculation regarding his international future by acknowledging occasional frustrations while maintaining absolute dedication to the game. Axar Patel Under Pressure And Upcoming Fixtures Retention of Axar raised eyebrows following a difficult UK tour where he managed merely 48 runs from seven innings and took just four wickets with his spin bowling, culminating in a wicketless outing where he leaked 63 runs in the final T20I. Nevertheless, the two time T20 World Cup winner will look to justify the backing he received on September 13 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, home ground for his franchise Delhi Capitals. The entire three match series unfolds in Delhi before Shreyas Iyer leads the touring party to Japan for the Asian Games 2026.
Speaking about his mindset, Krunal had said, ‘I don’t think too much about selection now.
