Krunal Pandya Left Out Again: Hope Still Alive for India Return

NEW DELHI: The India squad dropped, the usual noise kicked in, and one name was missing again. A few minutes later, Krunal Pandya supplied his own headline.

“Hope is still alive,” he wrote on social media. Four words, no frills, but loaded with intent.

Left out of India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17, the 35-year-old all-rounder has made it clear he hasn’t filed away his India dreams just yet.

A strong IPL, a closed door – for now

Krunal has not worn India colours since the 2021 T20I series in Sri Lanka. For many, that would have been the quiet end of the story. His last appearance came in a very different phase of India’s white-ball evolution; since then, the T20 side has been reshaped, rethought and repeatedly rotated.

But he forced his way back into the conversation with a sharp IPL 2026 campaign for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Fourteen wickets, control with the new ball and at the death, and the familiar utility of a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder who can plug gaps in any XI. It was enough for his name to resurface in selection meetings, especially after India’s recent trips to Ireland and England.

The role he covets is a specialist one. India have been searching for a reliable left-arm spin option who can bat, someone who can balance the side without sacrificing firepower. Axar Patel, the incumbent in that space, played all seven T20Is across Ireland and England. The numbers, though, were underwhelming: four wickets in total — two across the two games in Ireland, and two more in four outings against England.

This time, the selectors have moved away from both. Axar has been left out of the Afghanistan series, and Krunal’s late surge has not yet translated into a recall. The door isn’t shut, but it isn’t open either. His post suggests he knows that, and is prepared to wait.

Bumrah back in the frame, with caveats

At the other end of the spectrum sits Jasprit Bumrah, the pace spearhead whose very presence changes the geometry of a T20 game. He returns to the squad, but with an asterisk: his selection is subject to fitness clearance.

Bumrah suffered an impact injury to his knee during India’s ODI series in England, a blow that kept him out of the subsequent two-Test tour of Sri Lanka. The BCCI medical team advised rest, and India have been cautious with his workload ever since. Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium offers a chance to sharpen him up again — if the medical team signs off.

He is not the only one carrying a question mark. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana have also been picked under Return to Play protocols, their participation dependent on final clearance.

Rana, who impressed with his aggression against England, picked up a Grade 1 hamstring injury in the third T20I of that series. Washington’s hamstring flared up during the third ODI against England, another frustrating interruption in a career repeatedly nudged off course by injury. Reddy has also been on the recovery trail after a setback that kept him out of India’s recent assignments.

The selectors have gambled that all three are close enough to a return to merit inclusion, but the physio room will have as much say as the selection committee over who actually takes the field.

Hardik’s plans stall again

There was one more notable omission, and it came from the all-rounder India had hoped to reintroduce. Hardik Pandya’s comeback has been delayed again after a late leg niggle during his return programme at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.

He has not played competitive cricket since turning out for Mumbai Indians on May 24. His last game for India was the T20 World Cup final on March 8. For a side that has built much of its white-ball balance around Hardik’s dual role, every fresh delay forces another tactical rethink.

With Hardik out and Krunal overlooked, India’s all-round stocks look thinner than they might have anticipated for what could have been a useful testing ground ahead of bigger assignments.

A squad in transition, and a veteran who refuses to fade

The squad named for the three T20Is against Afghanistan reads like a blend of continuity and quiet experimentation:

Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana* (*Subject to fitness clearance)

Shreyas Iyer leads, Tilak Varma serves as vice-captain, and the spin attack leans heavily on Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi, with Axar and Washington waiting on fitness and form to speak louder than numbers.

For Krunal Pandya, the message is harsher but not final. The selectors have looked at his body of work, weighed it against their current plans, and chosen to wait. His response has been to send out a simple line that sounds less like resignation and more like a promise.

Hope is still alive. The next question is whether opportunity will be, too, by the time the next squad sheet goes up.