New Delhi, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has criticised the selectors for picking a full-strength squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, saying the three-match assignment should instead have been used to test more young players.
India are scheduled to face Afghanistan in Delhi from September 13, with the squad also expected to form the core of the team for the Asian Games in Japan later this month. Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar have returned to the squad despite questions over their match fitness.
Srikkanth believes India’s recent defeats may have prompted the selectors to prioritise results over experimentation.
“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. Instead, you’ve picked a full-strength squad out of fear,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
India lost all six completed T20Is on their recent overseas tour of Ireland and England under Shreyas Iyer, before a second-string side responded with a 3-0 series sweep of Zimbabwe in July.
Srikkanth said the Afghanistan squad appears to reflect a cautious approach following those setbacks.
“It feels like a desperation move after the Ireland and England losses. But this squad is almost the same as the one they picked for England,” he said.
He also questioned whether the returning players had demonstrated sufficient match fitness, arguing that training at the Bengaluru Centre of Excellence alone may not be enough.
“These four have not proved match-fitness. So on what basis are they subject to fitness? Just because you prove your fitness at the Bengaluru CoE, are you fit? … match-fitness is important,” he said.
Srikkanth clarified that his concerns were about timing rather than the players’ ability, praising Rana and Reddy as quality T20 performers.
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