Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes India’s squad for the Afghanistan series could undergo some changes. Chopra reckons Suryansh Shedge could replace Nitish Kumar Reddy if the latter fails to recover on time.
Reddy has been named in the squad, but his selection is subject to fitness clearance. Furthermore, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana have been named in the squad, but the trio’s selection is also subject to fitness clearance.
“They have made up their mind to go with an almost full-strength Indian team. This team is along the expected lines. The big thing is the names after which a star has been placed, which means those players might not be available, or if they get a fitness certificate from the Center of Excellence (CoE), then they will participate,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“The first name in that is Nitish Kumar Reddy’s. Hardik (Pandya) isn’t available in any case. Suryansh Shedge was given chances in place of NKR on the England tour. The expectation was that NKR would return if he became fit, but is he fully fit? We don’t know yet. So it could be a like-for-like swap. If Nitish Kumar Reddy isn’t declared fit, Suryansh Shedge could walk into the team again,” he added.
Chopra added that there are doubts over Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah’s availability. While Sundar suffered a hamstring injury against England, Bumrah suffered a knee injury in the same series.
“After that, you see Washington Sundar. His name is still with an asterisk, which means there is still no guarantee about his fitness. There is no clarity about it. After that, you see a star after Jasprit Bumrah’s name, which means we really don’t know whether he is available or not,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer reckons Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar could replace either Jasprit Bumrah or Harshit Rana if the duo fails to recover in time.
“Then there is Harshit Rana, who is also subject to availability. If these two fast bowlers don’t come, or if one of them doesn’t come, Prince Yadav’s name could come. You might consider him for inclusion. You might see Gurnoor Brar playing again. So those are the kind of changes that can happen,” Chopra observed.
The first T20I between Afghanistan and India will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on September 13.
