Indian cricket team-led by Shreyas Iyer is set to receive significant reinforcements for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, starting September 13 in Delhi. All three T20Is will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17, serving as crucial preparation for the Asian Games cricket event in Japan later that month.
The Ajit Agarkar-led senior men’s selection committee is likely to meet this week to finalize the squad for the Afghanistan T20Is, with a strong focus on rehabilitating all-rounders and workload management. Likely Addition/Changes In India Squad Key All-Rounders Set for Return
Nitish Kumar Reddy: Working on his recovery from a hamstring issue, Reddy is reportedly operating at full training capacity. Washington Sundar: The off-spin all-rounder is also on course to secure full clearance after gradually ramping up his bowling and fitness workload. Jasprit Bumrah’s Return Delayed? The team management intends to avoid rushing him, aiming to ease him back through the shortest format ahead of upcoming major assignments, making a return for the Asian Games more realistic. Krunal Pandya In The Mix Following the recent away fixtures where Axar Patel had lean wicket returns, the selectors and team management are discussing options for left-arm orthodox spin. Krunal Pandya, who delivered consistent performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL, is being reportedly actively discussed as a contender for a recall to bolster the spin-bowling all-round department. Meanwhile, there is no clarity in the fitness of mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who got injured during the T20I series against England. India’s Likely Squad For Afghanistan T20Is Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel/Krunal Pandya, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was sidelined during the recent Test tour of Sri Lanka due to a knee issue, is being handled with caution.
India’s dynamic all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy are progressing well at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and are on track for selection: Hardik Pandya: Rebounding from a quadriceps issue, Pandya has been training extensively at the CoE, according to a report by Times of India. The Afghanistan series might be a “touch-and-go” scenario for Bumrah, according to TOI report.
