‘Hope Is Still Alive’: Krunal Pandya Shares Cryptic Post After Afghanistan T20I Squad Snub
India announced the squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on Tuesday, and the RCB all-rounder was left out.
File photo: Krunal Pandya (IANS)
Hyderabad:Krunal Pandya came up with a cryptic post after India announced the squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder was snubbed from the squad, and he wrote on his story that the hopes of his return to international cricket are still alive.
After the squad was announced on Tuesday, Krunal shared a four-word message on social media, writing ‘Hope is still alive’. The 35-year-old spinner has been pushing for a spot in the Indian team for quite some time, especially after playing a key role for his franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the last two seasons.
The three T20Is between Afghanistan and India will be played on September 13, 15 and 17, with the Arun Jaitley Stadium to host all three matches.
Krunal misses despite impressive IPL season
Krunal last appeared in the national team in the shortest format in 2021 but has put himself in contention once again with an impressive performance in the IPL 2026 season.
While playing for RCB, he accrued 14 wickets with his left-arm orthodox spin and proved himself to be a valuable player for the franchise.
India might have to ponder the left-arm orthodox spin options, and that brings Krunal into the scenario. Axar Patel played seven matches in Ireland and England but managed to take just four wickets. Also, apart from Axar, no left-arm spinner has cemented his place in the Indian T20I team, and that might also play in favour of Krunal in the future.
Four players still uncertain in squad
Four of the players – Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana have an asterisk mark against their name, which indicates that they are ‘subject to fitness’.
Bumrah sustained an impact to his knee during India’s ODI series in England. He subsequently missed the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka.
Reddy has been recovering from an injury. Rana faced a Grade 1 hamstring injury during the third T20I against England while Sundar hurt his hamstring during the third ODI on English soil.
India squad for Afghanistan T20 series
Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*.
Source: www.etvbharat.com
