The India squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan is to be announced this week, with the selectors tackling selection questions and challenges of various kinds.
The Shreyas Iyer captaincy era of the Indian cricket team in T20Is got underway on a shocking note as India lost 2-0 in Ireland and 4-0 in England. That was quite a steep and unexpected downfall for the men’s T20 World Cup holders.
The T20I contingent gained some of the lost ground back in Zimbabwe by beating the underdogs 3-0 in Harare, with teenage superstar Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bagging the Man of the Series award.
Sooryavanshi made his T20I debut on the tour of the UK but failed to go past 15 in the three chances in England, while Samson, too, failed to make a big contribution in the four T20Is on the trip.
The left-hander then got a full series in Zimbabwe, where Samson was not picked, and made the most out of it, laying a strong marker down to become India’s first-choice opener, leaving Samson and Abhishek fighting for the other spot.
In England, Gautam Gambhir hinted that Sooryavanshi replaced Samson because of his staggering IPL form, while Samson had received clarity from the head coach regarding his standing in the side.
Interestingly, both have been picked in the squad for the Asian Games, which will be played from September 24 in Japan. Before that, India will take on Afghanistan.
IND vs AFG: When is the India vs Afghanistan T20I series?
The three-match India vs Afghanistan T20I series is scheduled to be played on September 13, 15, and 17. All matches will be hosted at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Afghanistan are the designated host of this series.
When will the India squad for T20I series against Afghanistan be announced?
The BCCI selection committee will reportedly meet on September 3 to pick the squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan and announce it the same day.
Apart from the opening conundrum, the selectors are also keeping a close eye on the fitness of the injured players. The list of injured Indian players includes Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakaravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, and Jasprit Bumrah.
When will Hardik Pandya return?
As per a report in Times of India, Pandya is close to attaining full fitness and is expected to be named in the squad for the Afghanistan T20Is.
Further, Reddy and Sundar are also nearing the required fitness standards, while Harshit and Varun are uncertain. Bumrah is likely to be given a rest from the IND vs AFG T20Is and might return directly in the Asian Games.
Given that there are several injured players, it’s difficult to predict the squad for the upcoming series. But some of the players who are all but certain to be picked would be Iyer, Sooryavanshi, Samson, Abhishek, Kishan, Dube, Axar, Tilak, Bishnoi, and Arshdeep. We can consider Hardik, Reddy, and Sundar as well, as suggested by the latest TOI report.
For the remaining spots, India have a spate of bowling options in Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Yash Thakur, Mayank Yadav, and Ashok Sharma, while Rinku Singh and perhaps Rajat Patidar are batting alternatives. Harsh Dubey is the spin all-rounder at disposal for the BCCI if Sundar isn’t fit.
IND vs AFG: India Squad For Afghanistan T20I Series – Predicted
- Shreyas Iyer (C)
- Tilak Varma (VC)
- Ishan Kishan (WK)
- Sanju Samson (WK)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Axar Patel
- Shivam Dube
- Arshdeep Singh
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Hardik Pandya
- Nitish Kumar Reddy/ Suryansh Shedge (backup)
- Washington Sundar/Harsh Dubey (backup)
- Mayank Yadav
- Prince Yadav/Prasidh Krishna
Players injured or rested who could miss out on IND vs AFG T20I series: Bumrah, Harshit, Chakravarthy
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