India named a 15-member squad for the Afghanistan T20I series, with four players selected subject to fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence. Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy all carry asterisks against their names, meaning their participation in the series, which begins September 13 in New Delhi, is not guaranteed.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has identified specific players who could step in if any of the four are ruled out, naming Suryansh Shedge,
Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar as the most likely candidates depending on which positions need to be filled.
"They have made up their mind to go with an almost full-strength Indian team. This team is along the expected lines. The big thing is the names after which a star has been placed, which means those players might not be available, or if they get a fitness certificate from the Center of Excellence (CoE), then they will participate," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Who could replace Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar?
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been out of action since June following the ODI series against Afghanistan. He has reportedly been declared fit and available for selection, though his status remains subject to confirmation from the Centre of Excellence. Sundar picked up a hamstring injury during the ODI series against England and has no confirmed return date, though he is reported to be nearing fitness clearance.
Chopra addressed the Nitish Kumar Reddy situation directly, noting that Suryansh Shedge had already filled that role during the England tour.
"The first name in that is Nitish Kumar Reddy's. Hardik (Pandya) isn't available in any case. Suryansh Shedge was given chances in place of NKR on the England tour. The expectation was that NKR would return if he became fit, but is he fully fit? We don't know yet. So it could be a like-for-like swap. If Nitish Kumar Reddy isn't declared fit, Suryansh Shedge could walk into the team again," the former KKR cricketer said.
"After that, you see Washington Sundar. His name is still with an asterisk, which means there is still no guarantee about his fitness. There is no clarity about it. After that, you see a star after Jasprit Bumrah's name, which means we really don't know whether he is available or not," he said on Sundar's status.
Who could replace Bumrah and Harshit Rana in the pace attack?
Bumrah, meanwhile, pulled out midway through the white-ball series against England and has continued his rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence without a confirmed return date. Harshit Rana also pulled out midway through that same series and is similarly subject to fitness clearance ahead of the AfghanistanT20Is. The ex-batter named two fast bowlers as the most likely options if either or both of Bumrah and Rana.
"Then there is Harshit Rana, who is also subject to availability. If these two fast bowlers don't come, or if one of them doesn't come, Prince Yadav's name could come. You might consider him for inclusion. You might see Gurnoor Brar playing again. So those are the kind of changes that can happen," Chopra observed.
The final decision on the availability of all four players is expected before the start of the series. Meanwhile, star all-round cricketer Hardik Pandya is not available for the series, having been out of professional cricket for three months with different injury setbacks.
