India's Squad Vs Afghanistan- Undeserving Players Who Made Cut Out Of Nowhere

Undeserving players who got a chance in India's squad vs AFG [Source: AFP]

On Tuesday, the BCCI announced India’s Test and ODI squad for the upcoming home series against Afghanistan, starting next month. Once the IPL gets over, Team India will play a one-off Test match vs the Afghan side, followed by three ODI matches.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee revealed an interesting team for both formats, but there were several undeserving players who got a lifeline and got a chance to be a part of the India squads.

Here is a list of all the undeserving players who got a chance in India's Squad Vs Afghanistan.

India Test squad vs Afghanistan

Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel

India ODI squad vs Afghanistan

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey

Undeserving players who got a chance in India's Squad Vs Afghanistan

1) Nitish Kumar Reddy (Tests)

Nitish Kumar Reddy announced his Test arrival with a majestic century against Australia, Down Under. He was touted as the next big thing for the Indian Test side, but since that ton, things have gone downhill for the all-rounder.

His output (both with bat and ball) has been below average, and he has failed to cement his place in the Test squad. The all-rounder has average red-ball stats, and they reveal the reality.

(Nitish Reddy Test stats)

• 396 runs in 10 Tests, with an average of 26.40 define his batting journey. Moreover, with the ball, he has only scalped 8 wickets, with an average of 45.75, and he was one of the players who shouldn't have been a part of India's Squad Vs Afghanistan.
• The India vs Afghanistan one-off Test will be played in Indian conditions, and perhaps, the team could have taken an extra spinner, or an out-and-out batter instead of NKR, who has struggled in this format.

2) Washington Sundar (ODIs)

For some reason, the Indian team management has always backed Washington Sundar in the ODIs. He has also been given KL Rahul’s batting position (number 5), but the all-rounder has not done much in the 50-overs format.

(Washington Sundar stats in ODIs)

• Sundar has played in 29 ODI matches, and the batter has only accumulated 372 runs, with an average of 20. Moreover, he has only scalped 29 wickets, with an average of 28.86.
• India could have gone in with a proper bowler or a proper batter in place of Washington Sundar. His stats look mediocre, and his ODI averages in the last three series read 7, 11.00, and 14.00. Hence, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder shouldn't have been a part of India's Squad Vs Afghanistan.

3) Gurnoor Brar (Tests)

For some reason, Indian selectors picked Gurnoor Brar in the Test squad vs Afghanistan, and snubbed the deserving Auqib Nabi.

Brar, a right-arm pacer has decent first-class numbers, but Auqib Nabi helped Jammu and Kashmir win the Ranji Trophy title, and was the leading wicket-taker.

(Brar and Nabi first-class stats)

• When we look at the first-class stats for Brar and Nabi, the difference is easy to see. Nabi has more wickets and certainly has a better average, and strike rate.
• Nabi finished with 60 wickets in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, and missed out on a chance as the selectors picked Gurnoor Brar, and just like the others in the list, Brar could have been avoided in India's Squad Vs Afghanistan.

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