Former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth has said that after the series defeats in the United Kingdom, the team management has decided not to take any risks and that’s why they have picked a full-strength squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.
Srikkanth believes there was no need to name a full-strength team and that some youngsters could have been given a chance. The Indian team was announced earlier this week, with four players included subject to fitness clearance.
After India’s T20 World Cup win earlier this year, the team underwent a captaincy change, with Shreyas Iyer taking over as skipper. But India suffered a series of losses against Ireland and England, prompting BCCI to hold a review meeting in Mumbai.
“After the series losses in Ireland and England, the selectors have decided not to take a chance and picked a full-strength squad for Afghanistan. They are going all guns blazing, but this is a mistake,” Srikkanth said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“It is against teams like Afghanistan that you should try out youngsters. Instead, you have picked a full-strength squad out of fear. It feels like a desperate move after the Ireland and England losses,” Srikkanth said.
“But this squad is almost the same as the one they picked for England,” the former Indian cricketer added.
Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy were named in the team subject to fitness clearance. The four cricketers will undergo match simulations at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence and if they clear the necessary tests, they will join the Indian team in New Delhi for the Afghanistan series.
“These four haven’t proved match-fitness. So, on what basis are they subject to fitness? Just because you prove your fitness at the Bengaluru CoE, does that mean you are fit?” Srikkanth questioned.
