BCCI has announced India's squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with Shreyas Iyer leading the side. The series is scheduled to be played from Sept. 13 in New Delhi, as India take on another assignment in the shortest format of the game.
Arun Jaitley Stadium will host all three T20I matches on Sept. 13, 15 and 17.
Tilak Varma has been named vice-captain, while Sanju Samson makes a comeback to the squad. The 15-member group blends several established names with a few emerging talents.
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Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana have all been included, though their participation remains subject to fitness clearance.
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 After Late Fitness Setback
India's premier fast bowling all-rounder 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 32-year-old had been making good progress in his recovery, but this latest setback has ended his hopes of a return to international cricket for now.
According to a report by The Times of India, Pandya was advised to stop bowling after experiencing discomfort in his leg, having trained at full intensity without any issues right up until the setback occurred.
While he is expected to resume bowling soon, the BCCI medical team has opted against rushing his return, meaning Pandya will now have to wait a while longer before making his way back into India's T20I setup.
Pandya's last international outing was the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand in early March.
How The Squad Has Changed Since The England Series
Compared to the squad picked for the recent England assignment, India have made a few notable tweaks. The headline addition is Jasprit Bumrah, back in the fold after being rested, while Nitish Kumar Reddy also returns following his injury-enforced absence from the England tour.
On the other hand, three members of the England team were left out this time around: Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Suryansh Shedge are not included in the Afghanistan team. Mohammed Siraj was previously omitted from the England squad, so his exclusion from the group is not new.
When the two teams are positioned side by side, Bumrah is essentially the only truly new player; Reddy's return is more of an injury comeback than a fresh choice.
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An Even Bigger Shake-Up Compared To Zimbabwe
The turnover looks much more dramatic when compared to the squad that toured Zimbabwe. Those missing from the Zimbabwe squad this time around are Prabhsimran Singh, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Ashok Sharma, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav and Yash Thakur.
However, a few players who were left out of the Zimbabwe series have been brought back into the Afghanistan assignment - Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah all feature in this squad having been left out for that tour.
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