Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah to KL Rahul; Stars Who May Not Make IND Squad For T20I Series vs AFG

Cape Town: Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar would be consulting the team in Cape Town before announcing the Indian T20I squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan. While reports suggest that the discussion would be about getting clarity from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli about their availability in T20Is. It is learnt that Rohit and Kohli are inclined to feature in the T20Is vs Afghanistan and then the T20 World Cup later in the year. One also gets the feeling that some senior players may not feature in the T20Is versus Afghanistan as they believe there is an IPL coming up.

So, who are the players who may not make the squad:

Sanju Samson: With Ishan Kishan there, it is difficult for Samson to find a spot. Also, Jitesh Sharma in all possibility could become the back-up option with the gloves as he is known as a T20 specialist.

KL Rahul: After a grueling tour of South Africa, in-form KL Rahul may look for a break. Also with Rahul, it is not clear if he is inclined to play the series against Afghanistan or not. In all possibility, the selectors will have a word with him to know what he wants. One feels he may skip the three-match series.

Jasprit Bumrah: Surely, Bumrah plays the T20 WC later in the year – but will he play the three matches against Afghanistan? One feels, the answer is no because his body would go through a lot of toil in the England series and then the IPL – so it is best he opts out.

India’s Predicted Squad for Afghanistan T20Is: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Virat Kohli, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar