'It's a desperation move' - Kris Srikkanth slams India's full-strength squad for Afghanistan series

India's Men's Selection Committee announced a full-strength squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on September 1, 2026. The series will be played at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi, with matches scheduled for September 13, 15 and 17, 2026. The squad includes Shreyas Iyer as captain, Tilak Varma as vice-captain, and experienced players across batting, bowling and wicket-keeping roles.

Former India opener Kris Srikkanth has criticised the selection committee's approach, describing the squad composition as a reaction to India's recent international losses. India suffered a 2-0 T20I series defeat to Ireland and a 4-0 series loss to England in July 2026, outcomes that appear to have influenced the selection strategy for the Afghanistan assignment.

"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.

Srikkanth elaborated on his concerns about the selection philosophy, noting that the squad composition mirrors the one fielded for the England series. He described the decision as a desperation move that misses an opportunity to develop emerging talent in a match situation against a relatively less experienced opponent. The former opener felt the selectors had allowed recent defeats to dictate their approach rather than viewing the Afghanistan assignment as a chance to build for the future.

Concerns over fitness clearances for four players

The squad includes four players subject to fitness clearance, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana. Washington Sundar sustained a hamstring injury during India's second ODI against England at Cardiff on July 17, 2026, and continues his recovery. Srikkanth questioned the logic of including players with unproven match fitness, arguing that fitness clearance at the National Cricket Academy does not guarantee readiness for international cricket.

"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? That's how Harshit Rana went to England, and then what happened to him there? So match fitness is important," Srikkanth said.

India's squad for the Afghanistan T20I series:

Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Tilak Varma (Vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy (Subject to fitness clearance), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar (Subject to fitness clearance), Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah (Subject to fitness clearance), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana (Subject to fitness clearance).