Krunal Pandya's India Dream: Hope is Still Alive
Krunal Pandya left out again, but three words say his India dream isn’t done yet
The Afghanistan T20I squad dropped on Tuesday afternoon. A routine announcement, on paper. For Krunal Pandya, it cut a little deeper.
Within minutes of the list going public, the 35-year-old all-rounder went to social media and typed out just four words: “Hope is still alive.”
No rant. No complaint. Just a quiet reminder that he hasn’t signed off from international cricket yet.
A strong IPL, a closed door – for now
Krunal hasn’t worn India colours since the T20I series in Sri Lanka in 2021. For many, that would have been the end of the story. Instead, he forced his way back into the conversation with a sharp IPL 2026 season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Fourteen wickets. Reliable overs through the middle. Left-arm spin with control and nous, plus the batting utility that has always made him a tempting T20 option. In a format built on roles, he ticked the “spin-bowling all-rounder” box again and again.
Selectors noticed. After India’s recent trips to Ireland and England, his name resurfaced as a genuine option in that department. The role is a live debate: who backs up the top-order power and the death specialists with four overs of spin and lower-order muscle?
Axar Patel had first crack. He played all seven T20Is across those two series but finished with just four wickets — two against Ireland, two in four games against England. The numbers didn’t scream “undroppable”, and the selectors have now chosen to move on from him for the Afghanistan series as well.
That only sharpens the question. With the slot wide open and Krunal fresh from a strong IPL, his omission stings a little more. His message suggests he knows that too, but he’s not walking away from the fight.
Afghanistan series: opportunity for some, wait for others
Afghanistan will “host” India in New Delhi, with all three T20Is — on September 13, 15 and 17 — staged at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. It’s a compact series, but in a World Cup cycle, nothing is really small.
Shreyas Iyer leads the side, with Tilak Varma named vice-captain. The batting group has a mix of familiar and emerging T20 names: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube all get another look at this level. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi joins the mix as well.
In the all-round and spin department, the selectors have gone for a spread of options: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are in, alongside Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi. For Krunal, it means watching a role he covets being shared among others, at least for this series.
The twist: several of those names are walking a fitness tightrope.
Bumrah back, but with an asterisk
The headline call is obvious. Jasprit Bumrah returns.
India’s pace spearhead has been named in the squad after recovering from an impact injury to his knee picked up during the ODI series in England. That blow kept him out of the two-Test series in Sri Lanka, with the BCCI medical team ordering rest.
Now he’s back on the sheet, but not fully over the line yet. His inclusion, like that of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana, is subject to fitness clearance. All four are under Return to Play protocols.
Rana’s Grade 1 hamstring injury came in the third T20I against England. Washington’s hamstring issue flared up in the third ODI of that same tour. Reddy has also been recovering from an injury that ruled him out of recent assignments. On paper, India have depth. In reality, the physio room holds as much power as the selection table.
If all four are cleared, India walk into the Afghanistan series with a full battery: Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh with the new ball, Rana as a lively seam option, and a spin core of Axar, Washington, Chakaravarthy and Bishnoi. If not, the balance of the XI changes quickly.
Hardik delayed again
There is another Pandya missing from this squad, and his absence has its own weight.
Hardik Pandya’s planned return has been pushed back after a late leg niggle at the BCCI Centre of Excellence disrupted his comeback trail. He hasn’t played competitive cricket since turning out for Mumbai Indians on May 24. His last outing for India was in the T20 World Cup final on March 8.
For a side that has long built its white-ball balance around Hardik’s all-round package, every delay forces fresh planning. Shreyas Iyer will lead a group that has to find its own way without that familiar safety net at No. 6.
A door not shut, just not open yet
So where does that leave Krunal?
On the outside, yes. But not discarded. Not yet.
The selectors have signalled that the spin-bowling all-rounder role is still fluid. Axar is in, but under scrutiny. Washington is in, but racing the clock. Nitish Reddy and Shivam Dube bring their own styles to the middle order. None of it says the conversation is over.
For now, Krunal watches from home while the lights come on at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and another India T20I cycle rolls forward. His numbers from IPL 2026 keep him in the frame. His four-word post tells you he still believes the phone might ring.
Hope, as he wrote, is still alive. How long it stays that way will depend on what happens over three nights in Delhi — and how loudly the next IPL forces his name back onto that squad list.
