India T20I Squad vs Afghanistan Announcement Date Revealed; 3 Players Doubtful

Indian T20I team will face Afghanistan in 3 T20Is [Source: AFP]

After the India vs Afghanistan T20I series schedule was confirmed by the ACB and BCCI two weeks ago, a recent development has revealed the date of India's squad announcement for the series against Afghanistan.

For the unaware, the Men in Blue are set to play Afghanistan in September for three games of the shortest format on the 13th, 15th and 17th. All of these matches will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

BCCI’s selection committee set to reveal India squad vs Afghanistan by September 3

As per the latest report from the TOI, the selection committee is set to meet for the selection of the India squad very soon, with the due date of the meeting being September 3.

The selection unit led by Ajit Agarkar will be guided by the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and the captain of the current Indian T20I team, Shreyas Iyer. As far as selection squads are concerned, the same report shared that the squad will most likely be the same as that of the Asian Games 2026.

India are set to travel to Japan for the Asian Games 2026 as the competition will be held from September 24 onwards. 

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Iyer will be leading the side, which boasts a mix of young and experienced Indian cricketers. However, there are some injury concerns that will be frustrating for the team. 

Hardik Pandya among 3 key players doubtful for IND vs AFG T20Is

As per the latest developments, the official fitness reports of Hardik Pandya, Nitish Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah are awaited. 

Jasprit Bumrah has been struggling with a back injury since January 2025, and recently he also injured his left knee while fielding during the England ODI series in Cardiff. That resulted in him being ruled out of the Sri Lanka series. Hence, his progress from the medical team is still awaited.

Although Hardik Pandya was seen grinding in recent training sessions, it was reported that he picked up a fresh injury in August, which further delays his comeback to the national team. 

Nitish Reddy, one of the closest possible replacements for Pandya, is also in doubt. The all-rounder is currently at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, rehabilitating from an injury he sustained during the Afghanistan ODI series.

Varun Chakaravarthy, however, have been cleared and given the green signal for his full fitness after he sustained a toe fracture while playing IPL 2026. Hence, in the most likely scenario, he will be a part of the India vs Afghanistan T20I squad. 

What is the most likely squad of India for Afghanistan T20Is?

If the BCCI picks an identical team as the Asian Games squad for the Afghanistan series, then Shreyas Iyer will lead the side, with batters Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi likely to retain their spots without any squeeze.

The bowling unit might be led by Arshdeep Singh, with the selection committee’s latest find, Prince Yadav, as a replacement for Bumrah. Prince bagged 9 wickets from 6 matches since his debut in June and has impressed significantly.

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s most likely replacement at this point might be Suryansh Shedge. Shedge hasn't impressed with the bat nor with the ball. However, with Shivam Dube likely up for the Afghanistan series, Shedge might be a backup all-rounder that the BCCI might intend to reserve.

Harshit Rana’s inclusion is also doubtful, which might result in a call-up for Mayank Yadav again, who impressed with his five wickets in the three T20I matches he played this year.  

India’s probable squad vs Afghanistan: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Suryansh Shedge, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

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