Krunal Pandya's Message After India Snub: 'Hope is Still Alive'

Krunal’s three-word message after India snub: ‘Hope is still alive’

NEW DELHI: The Afghanistan series squad dropped. One name missing again.

Krunal Pandya did not rage, did not rant. He simply went to social media and typed three words: “Hope is still alive”.

For a 35-year-old all-rounder who has not worn India’s colours since 2021, it read less like a cliché and more like a quiet statement of intent.

Left out after strong IPL, but not backing down

Krunal’s omission from India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan will sting. He had done the one thing players are always told to do: dominate the IPL and make the selectors look up.

For Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026, the left-arm spinner grabbed 14 wickets and again reminded everyone why captains like having him in the XI – a left-arm spinner who can bowl in tough phases and chip in with the bat. In a format that increasingly leans on multi-skilled cricketers, he ticked the right boxes.

It still wasn’t enough.

The selectors had considered him as an option after India’s recent T20I tours of Ireland and England, where the search for a reliable spin-bowling all-rounder continued. Axar Patel played all seven matches on those trips but finished with just four wickets – two in the two T20Is in Ireland and two more in four outings in England.

Axar, too, finds himself out of the squad for the Afghanistan games. That only sharpens the spotlight on the role Krunal had been eyeing.

So the message – “Hope is still alive” – lands with context. It is not a farewell note. It is a reminder that he believes there is still a way back.

Afghanistan series: home stage, big returns, fitness clouds

Afghanistan will host India for three T20Is in New Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17, with all three matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. On paper, it is a short, sharp series. For several players, it could define their immediate international future.

Jasprit Bumrah’s name on the team sheet brings instant weight. India’s pace spearhead returns to the T20I squad, but his participation is tied to a final fitness clearance. He had suffered an impact injury to his knee during the ODI series in England and then sat out the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka on medical advice from the BCCI’s team.

He is not alone in that wait-and-watch zone. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana have also been picked with an asterisk – all three are under Return to Play protocols and must prove their fitness.

Rana pulled up with a Grade 1 hamstring injury during the third T20I against England. Washington injured his hamstring in the third ODI of that same tour. Reddy, too, has been nursing an injury that kept him out of India’s recent fixtures. Each of them has a place on the list, but not yet a guaranteed place on the field.

Hardik’s latest setback

There is another Pandya missing from this squad.

Hardik Pandya’s planned return has been delayed again after a late leg niggle at the BCCI Centre of Excellence cut short his comeback push. He has not played competitive cricket since turning out for Mumbai Indians on May 24, and his last India appearance dates back to the T20 World Cup final on March 8.

For a player central to India’s white-ball balance, the repeated interruptions are worrying. For Krunal, they also subtly keep the door ajar: India’s all-rounder pool is far from settled.

The squad that did make it

India’s squad for the Afghanistan T20Is reads:

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.*

(*Subject to fitness clearance)

It is a group that blends experience with players still carving out their place. It is also a group that, for now, does not include Krunal Pandya.

He has made his stance clear with one short line. The selectors have made theirs with one long list.

The next few months will reveal whose position moves first.