Gautam Gambhir under attack after BCCI announces T20I squad against Afghanistan: ‘Favorite coach returns’

Former India batsman S Badrinath has questioned the inclusion of Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan, starting September 13 in Delhi, suggesting that head coach Gautam Gambhir’s preferences may have played a role in the selections. Responding to the 15-member squad, Badrinath took aim at what he described as the continued support received by some players, especially Sundar, while also expressing his reservations about Reddy’s credentials as a bowling all-rounder.

“At first glance, the coach’s favorites are back. Washington Sundar has tremendous support in Indian cricket. He really needs to take advantage of it,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.

Badrinath then turned his attention to Reddy, making it clear that his assessment of the youngster was mainly based on his bowling ability rather than his batting.

“Somehow, I don’t rate Nitish Kumar Reddy very highly. That’s because of his bowling. I still feel he’s a batsman and not someone I rate with the ball,” he said.

The Afghanistan series will see India make several changes to its squad, with a number of high-profile names set to return from injury. Jasprit Bumrah, Sundar, Nitish and Harshit Rana have been included, although their participation remains subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI Center of Excellence.

While Badrinath criticized some of the selections, he saw Bumrah’s potential return as a big positive for India, especially with their gold medal defense at the Asian Games scheduled to be held later this month in Japan.

“Bumrah’s return is considered very positive. It is also possible that Bumrah has told the management that he wants to play these three matches. Then they have to select him. We don’t know that,” Badrinath said.

The former batsman also suggested that Bumrah himself may have pushed for a return to competitive cricket after spending time on the sidelines.

“Bumrah might have spoken to Gambhir or the selection committee and said he wanted to play because he had not played cricket for a long time. So maybe that was Bumrah’s choice,” he added.

Bumrah last played during India’s ODI series in England in July before a left knee injury forced him out of Sri Lanka’s subsequent tour. His potential return against Afghanistan will therefore provide India with an opportunity to get its gears back into action before a busy period in the international calendar.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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