Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra has said that the India squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan might see some changes. He added that Suryansh Shedge could replace Nitish Kumar Reddy as a like-for-like swap if the latter isn’t declared fit as well. However, Afghanistan will host India in three T20Is in Delhi, with the first match
scheduled on September 13. The selectors recently picked the Indian squad for the series, with Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Harshit Rana included, subject to fitness clearance as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “They have made up their mind to go with an almost full-strength Indian team. This team is along the expected lines. The big thing is the names after which a star has been placed, which means those players might not be available, or if they get a fitness certificate from the Center of Excellence (CoE), then they will participate.”

“The first name in that is Nitish Kumar Reddy’s. Hardik (Pandya) isn’t available in any case. Suryansh Shedge was given chances in place of NKR on the England tour. The expectation was that NKR would return if he became fit, but is he fully fit? We don’t know yet. So it could be a like-for-like swap. If Nitish Kumar Reddy isn’t declared fit, Suryansh Shedge could walk into the team again,” he further added.

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However, Aakash Chopra also added that there is no clarity yet on Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah’s availability as well.

“After that, you see Washington Sundar. His name is still with an asterisk, which means there is still no guarantee about his fitness. There is no clarity about it. After that, you see a star after Jasprit Bumrah’s name, which means we really don’t know whether he is available or not,” he said.

“Then there is Harshit Rana, who is also subject to availability. If these two fast bowlers don’t come, or if one of them doesn’t come, Prince Yadav’s name could come. You might consider him for inclusion. You might see Gurnoor Brar playing again. So those are the kind of changes that can happen,” Aakash Chopra concluded.