K Srikkanth questioned the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for picking a full-strength squad vs Afghanistan |Courtesy - PTI/AP 1983 World Cup winner K. Srikkanth did not mince his words and claimed that India's squad selection for the series against Afghanistan showed fear and called it a mistake. The former India captain stated that the young players should have been given a chance in this series instead of a first-choice team. For those unversed, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee named the same 15 players as the Asian Games squad for the three-match series from September 13 to 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Shreyas Iyer will lead the team. Srikkanth, who served as the head of the selection committee from 2008 to 2012, claimed that the defeats in Ireland and England have led to the team not taking any chance. The 2011 World Cup-winning selector called it a desperate move in a video on the YouTube channel 'Cheeky Cheeka' "After the series losses in Ireland and England, the selectors have decided not to take a chance and picked a full-strength squad for Afghanistan. They are going all guns blazing, but this is a mistake. It's against teams like Afghanistan that you should try out youngsters. Instead, you've picked a full-strength squad out of fear. "It feels like a desperation move after the Ireland and England losses. But this squad is almost the same as the one they picked for England," Srikkanth added. K Srikkanth Questions Subject To Fitness Selections Four players (Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar) in the team have been picked with a subject-to-fitness asterisk, which is a move that has been widely criticised. Srikkanth echoed the criticism and recalled how Harshit returned from injury in England and again got injured. "These four have not proved match-fitness. So on what basis are they subject to fitness? Just because you prove your fitness at the Bengaluru CoE, are you fit? That's how Harshit Rana went to England, and then what happened to him there? So match-fitness is important," said Srikkanth. "This is not a question of ability. Harshit Rana has proved to be a very good bowler in T20s, and Nitish Kumar Reddy is brilliant in the short format. But why pick them without match-fitness being proven is the question," he further said. Srikkanth was particularly critical of Washington Sundar's call-up and claimed he did not merit a spot based on performance. Moreover, he questioned how a player can make a comeback without playing any competitive cricket. "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. "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 concluded. Disclaimer: This article summarizes a report by Wasim Jaffer. While Times Now has verified the public data presented, the interpretations of 'intent' remain those of the creator. Aayush Kataria is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with four years of experience, having started his career in the organisation. He is a key memb... View More