Wicket-Keeper-Batsman Ishan Kishan decided to skip the two-match Test Series against South Africa due to personal reasons. The 25-year-old has not made himself available for selection yet, and he’s not a part of India’s squad for the upcoming Afghanistan T20i series. According to some news reports, the Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper took a break from cricket due to mental fatigue, but Ishan or the selectors have not released any statement regarding his unavailability.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned the unavailability of Ishan Kishan since he was regularly selected in the T20i squad. The 46-year-old even slammed the selectors for not persisting with Shreyas Iyer, the vice captain in the 5-match T20i Series against Australia, as he was not selected in the squad for the 3-match T20i Series against Afghanistan. Aakash Chopra further criticized the selectors and said that Shivam Dube gets selected for matches that take place in Indian conditions, as the 30-year-old CSK All-Rounder was ignored for the South African tour.
“Shreyas Iyer was nominated as the vice captain for the five-match T20i series against Australia. He was selected in the squad for the South Africa series as well. Now, he has not been selected for the team against Afghanistan. Shivam Dube was in the squad against Australia at home, but he was ignored for the tour of South Africa. Now he’s back on the team against Afghanistan. Also, where is Ishan Kishan? Any update regarding his availability?” Aakash Chopra wrote in a tweet on his X handle.
Another big name who will miss the 3-match T20i Series against Afghanistan is KL Rahul. Just like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Rahul’s last T20 international game for the Men in Blue was against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, and after the semi-final, he was dropped from the T20i team. Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson have been selected for the Afghanistan T20I series. The series will be really important for Sanju Samson, as he’s not going to get a lot of chances to cement his place in the Indian squad for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.
Seamers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested from the Afghanistan T20i series, keeping in mind the 5-match Test Series against England, which starts on January 25th. Mohammed Shami has not recovered from his ankle injury, and he is expected to miss the first two test matches against the Three Lions. Veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have returned to the squad for the 3-match T20i series against Afghanistan.
India’s T20I Squad against Afghanistan
Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Verma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
India vs Afghanistan T20I Series 2024 Schedule
- January 11, 1st T20I, PCA Stadium, Mohali
- January 14, 2nd T20I, Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
- January 17, 3rd T20I, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Read: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are back in the Indian T20I squad
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