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Rajat Patidar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar not selected: The India National Cricket Team is finally back as they are hosting the Afghanistan National Cricket Team at the New Chandigarh Stadium today for a one-off Test match. During the Test match, the three teams have been announced for the Men in Blue side for the Ireland and England Tours, as well as for the Asian Games. New faces have been added to the side.
There have been some new names that have been added to the side, such as T20 World Cup 2026 winning captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has been dropped from the captaincy role and also from the side, with Shreyas Iyer taking over the responsibility. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has earned his maiden call-up for the senior side for the first time.
Rajat Patidar does not find a spot in India's squad
However, the shocking fact is that some names are missing from the side, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar not finding a place in the side. The two-time TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) winning captain has been overlooked for the upcoming three series. He has been in sensational form since the last two seasons and deserved a place in the side.
Every former cricketer urged that Rajat Patidar should be in the T20I setup for India for his excellent hitting skills and for playing spin well. This season, he has scored over 500 runs, and his strike rate has been over 190, and also led RCB to their second IPL title this season. He needs an opportunity to showcase his talent in international cricket.
Why is Bhuvneshwar Kumar not in India's T20I squad?
Apart from Patidar, another performer from RCB, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has also been left out of the side. He has been a consistent performer in the last few seasons and has rediscovered his form and also his speed. This season, he also finished off as the leading wicket-taker for the franchise and bowled consistently well throughout the season.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked 28 wickets, one less than Kagiso Rabada, who picked 29 wickets and won the Purple Cap. However, his main concern is his age as he has already turned 36, and for a pace bowler, staying fit till the 2028 T20 World Cup will be a tough thing. But he might be given some chances in the upcoming years and provided a proper farewell from the national side.
India squad for England & Ireland: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Fans react to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rajat Patidar's India T20I snub
Gautam Gambhir's hate for RCB is pretty obvious and clear as we can see, not a single player from RCB (Rajat Patidar, Bhuvi, Krunal etc.)
— Sandeep Yadav (@Kohliitak) June 6, 2026
Rajat Patidar deserves a spot
— Cricket Lover 🏏 (@Crick97924Lover) June 6, 2026
So BCCI can select Gambhir as the coach based on his IPL accolades but they can't do the same for Rajat Patidar ? https://t.co/r52mzM3PNi
— onlydahi (@eyetestfpl_) June 6, 2026
Yes, mostly but unhappy that they didn't give Bhubaneswar Kumar or Rajat Patidar a chance.
— SKM | Delightful Odisha (@skmishra86) June 6, 2026
Why Harshit Rana over Bhuvneshwar Kumar?
— EpicVibes (@KanpurX) June 6, 2026
Asian Games T20 World cup
The exclusion of Bhuvneshwar Kumar is shocking.
— EpicVibes (@KanpurX) June 6, 2026
Why Harshit Rana is being promoted without proving himself and prime bowler Bhuvneshwar is being ignored
He should have been part of Asian Games and T20 World Cup.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar performance will be way better than Harshit Rana
— Sandip Kamde (@SandipKamde89) June 6, 2026
No rajat patitar
— Virat Karthik (@ViratKarthik28) June 6, 2026
No devdutt padikkal
No krunal pandya
No bhuvneshwar kumar
Fuck you @BCCI 😤 https://t.co/JY48uYwaEz pic.twitter.com/KYgKe4GhGf
Also Read: Gujarat Titans lobby dominates India Test XI as franchise creates history in Afghanistan Test
