‘Hope still lives’: Krunal Pandya reacts after missing India’s Afghanistan T20I squad

ByTech Word News

Krunal Pandya (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Krunal Pandya has hinted that his hopes of a return to international cricket remain alive after the all-rounder was left out of the Indian squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.Shortly after the team was announced on Tuesday, Krunal shared the poignant message on social media, writing, “Hope is still alive”.The 35-year-old left-arm spinner has been pushing for a return to India’s T20I set-up and, as reported by TimesofIndia.com earlier, has emerged as an option for the selectors following India’s recent tours of Ireland and England.Afghanistan will host India for three T20Is in New Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17, with the Arun Jaitley Stadium hosting all three matches.

Krunal is missing despite a strong IPL season

Krunal last played for India in the 2021 T20I series against Sri Lanka but remained on the selectors’ radar after an impressive IPL 2026 campaign.Playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Krunal took 14 wickets during the season and once again demonstrated his worth as a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder.India have been exploring options in this department after their recent T20I assignments. Axar Patel featured in all seven matches against Ireland and England but managed just four wickets – two in two T20Is against Ireland and two in four matches against England.The selectors decided against his recall for the Afghanistan series.His message on social media suggests that he is still hoping for another opportunity with India.

Bumrah returns, several players undergo fitness

Pace skipper Jasprit Bumrah has returned to the squad for the Afghanistan series, although his selection is subject to an eligibility review.Bumrah was ruled out after suffering a knee injury in a collision during India’s ODI series in England. He subsequently missed the two-Test series in Sri Lanka after the BCCI medical team advised him to rest.Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana have also been placed on probation. All three have recently struggled with injuries and are currently under the Return to Play protocol.Rana suffered a grade 1 hamstring injury during India’s third T20I against England, while Washington suffered a hamstring injury during the third ODI against England. Reddy has also been recovering from an injury that ruled him out of recent assignments in India.As reported by TimesofIndia.com earlier, Hardik Pandya also missed out after a late niggle disrupted his plans to return to the BCCI Center of Excellence. He has not played competitive cricket since turning out for Mumbai Indians on 24 May, while his last appearance for India came in the T20 World Cup final on 8 March.

India squad for Afghanistan T20Is

  • Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshiep Sishnoi, Ari Bumrah, Jasprit*

(*Subject to eligibility approval)