Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana have all been named in India’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, but no one knows whether the four would indeed play a match or not, considering they were named in the team subject to fitness clearance. Injury management has come under a lot of fire of late, and the topic gained further steam after India ODI captain Shubman Gill hit out at the growing list after losing the series against England.
India’s calendar is jam-packed until the IPL 2027 season, and a tough assignment against New Zealand awaits next month. The topic of injury management was also discussed during the BCCI’s review meeting on Thursday.
A day after the big meeting, a Times of India report claimed that all four players named for fitness clearance will undergo match simulation tests over the next few days before the team assembles in New Delhi for the three T20Is.
“The BCCI medical team at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) had shared a report with selectors last week, where it was mentioned that these four players were clinically fit but had to be assessed in practice matches. The CoE has lined up the matches from Sept 4-9. The CoE is confident that the players should be ready for the Afghanistan series,” a BCCI source told TOI.
All you need to know about Bumrah
The same TOI report also stated that the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, wants Bumrah to play at least one first-class game or an India A fixture before the first Test against New Zealand. It is worth noting that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) recently confirmed that India A would play New Zealand A. However, the matches would coincide with the white-ball series, for which Bumrah is expected to be part.
Bumrah was slated to be a part of India’s squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, but he was withdrawn at the last minute after he failed to recover from his injury. He last played a Test for India in November 2025 against South Africa.
Bumrah had injured his knee after two ODIs in England in July. “As it is, he has to skip Test matches because of his fitness. One has to be clear that his knee can take the load of a first-class game before he takes the field in a Test in New Zealand. It needs to be seen if he plays a Ranji Trophy game or a first-class game for India ‘A’ in New Zealand. He is likely to be rested for the T20I series against the West Indies at home in October. But the ‘A’ games in New Zealand overlap with the ODI series there,” TOI quoted a source as saying.
