The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a full-strength squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with Shreyas Iyer appointed as captain. This decision has drawn criticism from former Indian opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who believes it was a mistake to select the regular T20I lineup.
The matches are intended as a preparatory phase for the Indian team, which is gearing up to defend its gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 following these bilateral contests. Srikkanth argues that the selectors should have prioritized opportunities for younger players, suggesting that this approach could benefit the team’s future prospects.
India recently suffered a shocking 2-0 T20I series whitewash at the hands of Ireland before losing 4-0 to England in the format. Shreyas Iyer and Co., however, clean-swept Zimbabwe 3-0 in the T20I series that followed. The 1983 World Cup winner also questioned the fitness of four players — Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar , Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana — who have been picked for the Afghanistan T20Is, subject to fitness clearance. So match-fitness is important,” the 1983 World Cup winner said.
Because you prove your fitness at the Bengaluru CoE, are you fit, just.
Instead, you’ve picked a full-strength squad out of fear,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. But this squad is almost the same as the one they picked for England,” said Srikkanth. “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. It’s against teams like Afghanistan that you should try out youngsters. “It feels like a desperation move after the Ireland and England losses. “These four have not proved match-fitness. So on what basis are they subject to fitness? That’s how Harshit Rana went to England, and then what happened to him there? India’s squad for the Afghanistan T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma , Vaibhav Sooryavanshi , Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube , Nitish Kumar Reddy *, Axar Patel , Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy , Ravi Bishnoi , Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*.
