Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth has questioned Washington Sundar’s selection for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. Sundar has been picked after he was ruled out of the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka.
The all-rounder suffered a hamstring injury while batting in the second ODI against England. The Tamil Nadu cricketer has been picked for Afghanistan, but his selection is subject to fitness clearance.
Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel, “He is good in Tests but didn’t play in Sri Lanka. How is he fit now in two weeks? He has not proved his match-fitness so what is the use? You must play some matches at some level to show your fitness before being picked for India. You can’t just play with a doctor’s certificate. Washington Sundar seems to be injured after every two or three series.”
The 1983 World Cup-winning player questioned the selection of Sundar based on his below-par performance on the UK tour.
“He was smashed in Ireland and England. He started his cricket from the T20 format. He moved brilliantly to Test cricket, but he has lost his rhythm in white-ball cricket.”
Srikkanth said he would back Nitish Kumar Reddy as a batting all-rounder if he proves his match fitness ahead of the series against Afghanistan.
“If Nitish Kumar Reddy proves his match-fitness, I’ll go with him over Dube. But now there is no time for him to prove his match-fitness. What match can he play now before the Afghanistan series? It’s always better to prove your fitness by playing a match over doctor’s certificate. Anyone can get a doctor’s certificate like we used to for leaves in school,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
The first T20I between India and Afghanistan will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on 13th September.

