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The BCCI has announced India's squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with Shreyas Iyer leading the side. The series will begin on September 13 in New Delhi as India prepare for another assignment in the shortest format.
Tilak Varma is vice-captain, Sanju Samson has made a comeback, while several established players and emerging names have been included in the squad. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana have been marked subject to fitness.
India squad for Afghanistan T20I series
- Shreyas Iyer (Captain)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Sanju Samson (WK)
- Ishan Kishan (WK)
- Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain)
- Shivam Dube
- Nitish Kumar Reddy*
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar*
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Jasprit Bumrah*
- Arshdeep Singh
- Harshit Rana*
*Subject to fitness
Hardik Pandya ruled out of Afghanistan T20Is
Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of India's upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan after suffering a late leg niggle at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The all-rounder was making good progress in his recovery, but the latest setback has ended his hopes of returning to international cricket.
The Times of India reported the development, revealing that Pandya had been advised to stop bowling after experiencing discomfort in his leg. He had been training at full intensity without any major issue before the setback.
Pandya is expected to resume bowling soon, but the BCCI medical team has decided against rushing him back. His latest setback means he will have to wait longer for his return to India's T20I side.
Talking further about India's squad, Shreyas Iyer will lead the side, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain. Abhishek Sharma and teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are the other batting options, while Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan are the two wicketkeeper-batters. Shivam Dube provides another left-handed all-round option, with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar adding depth.
Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi are the specialist spinners, while Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana form the pace attack.
Full changes to India T20I squad from England series
India have made a few notable changes to their T20I squad for the Afghanistan series compared to the team selected for the recent England assignment. The most significant addition is Jasprit Bumrah, who returns to the squad, while Nitish Kumar Reddy has also made his way back after missing the England series due to injury.
Three players from the England squad have been left out this time. Suryansh Shedge, Prasidh Krishna and Prince Yadav do not feature in the Afghanistan squad. Mohammed Siraj also remains absent, although his case is different as he had already been marked as withdrawn from the England squad and therefore is not a fresh omission.
Jasprit Bumrah is the only completely new inclusion when the two squads are compared directly. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy returns to the group after his withdrawal from the England series because of injury. He has been included for the Afghanistan series but remains subject to fitness.
Full changes to India T20I squad from Zimbabwe series
The changes become much more significant when India's Afghanistan squad is compared with the squad selected for the Zimbabwe T20I series.
Prabhsimran Singh, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Ashok Sharma, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav and Yash Thakur were part of the Zimbabwe squad but have not been included for the Afghanistan series. Varun Chakravarthy also does not represent a fresh omission in this comparison, as he was already withdrawn from the Zimbabwe squad due to injury.
At the same time, several players who were not part of the Zimbabwe squad have now been selected for Afghanistan. These include Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah.
Varun Chakravarthy also appears in the Afghanistan squad, although his previous withdrawal means his inclusion should be viewed separately from a completely new addition.
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