Kris Srikkanth, former India captain, isn’t happy with the squad chosen by the Ajit Agarkar-led committee for the upcoming three T20Is against Afghanistan. The former national selector believes there was no need for naming a full-strength team, and some youngsters could have been given a chance. The Indian squad was announced earlier this week, and four players were included, subject to fitness clearance.
After the T20 World Cup win earlier this year, India changed captains, handing the reins to Shreyas Iyer. However, the Men in Blue suffered a series of losses against Ireland and England, prompting the BCCI to hold a review meeting in Mumbai.
Srikkanth believes that the debacle on the UK tour led the selectors to name a full-strength side and not take any chances ahead of the upcoming Asian Games.
“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.
“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 added.
‘What basis?’
Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy were named in the team, subject to fitness clearance. These four will need to undergo match simulations at the BCCI’s CoE, and once they pass the necessary tests, they will join the Indian team in New Delhi for the series against Afghanistan.
However, Srikkanth wasn’t a fan of naming four players in the squad before conducting their fitness tests, saying players should be named only after all checks have been completed.
“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, does that mean you’re fit? That’s how Harshit Rana went to England, and then what happened to him there? So match-fitness is important,” said Srikkanth.
“This is not a question of ability. Harshit Rana has proved to be a very good bowler in T20s, and Nitish Kumar Reddy is brilliant in the short format. But why pick them without match-fitness being proven is the question,” he added.
The three T20Is between India and Afghanistan will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17. India would be the away team as Afghanistan are the hosts for the upcoming series.