Washington Sundar Cleared for Afghanistan T20Is, Bumrah Fitness Test Set for September 9

All-rounder Washington Sundar has been declared fit and is available for India’s three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, beginning September 13.

His availability comes as a major boost for India, who are still awaiting fitness updates on several key players.

India Today has learnt that star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is yet to undergo his match simulation, with just four days remaining before the series opener. Bumrah is expected to complete the simulation on September 9, after which the BCCI will decide whether he will feature in the Afghanistan series.

India are also awaiting fitness clearances for Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Both players have completed their fitness tests and match simulations but are yet to receive a formal declaration of fitness from the BCCI. Their final fitness reports are expected by the evening of September 9.

India have named a full-strength squad for the three-match series following a difficult run in T20I cricket. The team suffered six consecutive defeats across their series against Ireland and England, prompting the selectors to bring their strongest available squad for the Afghanistan challenge.

The only notable absentee is Hardik Pandya, who remains sidelined with a leg strain sustained during the Indian Premier League earlier this year.

INDIA SQUAD FOR AFGHANISTAN SERIES

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*