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Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth criticised Indias squad selection for the Afghanistan series, saying the selectors have opted for a full-strength team after the defeats in Ireland and England.
He felt the series against Afghanistan presented an ideal opportunity to test youngsters, but instead, India had picked a squad similar to the one used against England, which he described as a move driven by fear and desperation. India suffered a 2-0 series defeat against Ireland, followed by a 4-0 loss to England in July. The Afghanistan series will get underway on September 13, with the second T20I scheduled for September 15 and the third on September 17. All three matches will be played in New Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium. "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. The Mens Selection Committee has announced a star-studded India squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with regular skipper Shreyas Iyer set to lead the side and Tilak Varma named his deputy. The squad also features pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, along with Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Bumrah returns to the squad, subject to fitness clearance, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana. Srikkanth also stressed the importance of match fitness, questioning whether players can be considered fully fit based solely on fitness tests at the Bengaluru Centre of Excellence. He argued that players should prove their fitness in competitive matches before being selected for India. "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," said Srikkanth. (ANI)
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