Published on: Sep 10, 2026 4:48 pm IST|Updated on: Sep 10, 2026 4:48 pm IST
In a major development for the Indian cricket team, the all-round duo of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar have been declared fit for the upcoming 3-match IND vs AFG T20Is. The duo has been cleared by the medical team at the BCCI Center of Excellence (COE) to participate in the T20I series slated to get underway on September 13 at the nation’s capital in New Delhi. All three games will be played at the same venue, with Afghanistan being the host this time around.
Both players underwent rigorous rehabilitation protocols and cleared their mandatory match simulation exercises at the state-of-the-art Bengaluru facility. Their clearance comes at a vital juncture as India looks to build momentum under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer before the team travels for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
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Washington Sundar’s disappearance from competitive cricket started when he sustained a hamstring injury in the second ODI against England in Cardiff. He had to miss the final game of the series and was subsequently sidelined from the two-Test series in Sri Lanka. Being the only all-format player in the current Indian setup besides Harshit Rana, Washington was named in the initial squad for the Afghanistan T20Is even when he was injured. This clearly shows the confidence and favoritism head coach Gautam Gambhir has towards the Tamil Nadu all-rounder.
For Nitish Kumar Reddy, the recovery road was even longer. The seam-bowling all-rounder suffered a quadriceps injury during the home ODI series against Afghanistan. The injury kept getting worse as time passed, ruling him out of India’s white-ball tours to Ireland and England, as well as the Sri Lanka trip. Reddy’s final match simulation on Wednesday saw him hit all required parameters across batting and bowling drills, confirming that the Andhra all-rounder is fully recovered.
Commenting on their physical readiness, a source tracking developments noted:
“Both Sundar and Reddy became fully fit sometime ago. The duo have cleared their fitness tests and match stimulations at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru”.
Besides Washington and Nitish, Indian fans can rejoice as the premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah is almost confirmed for the Afghanistan T20Is. According to reports, Bumrah, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Reddy have cleared their fitness tests, while Harshit Rana is likely to miss the Afghanistan T20Is and could also miss the Asian Games, as he even missed the match simulation due to injury.
Jasprit, who had been recovering from a knee injury sustained on the England tour, received full medical clearance alongside Sundar and Reddy. However, pacer Harshit Rana suffered a fresh injury setback during his rehab process. Having missed the match simulation session, Rana remains sidelined, prompting selectors to pick right-arm pacer Yash Thakur in the squad.
With Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Jasprit Bumrah available now, take a look at India’s updated T20I squad for the IND vs AFG T20Is.
India: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Ishan Kishan (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur
The three T20Is against Afghanistan on September 13, 15, and 17 in New Delhi. With the squad scheduled to travel to Japan shortly after for the Asian Games, the recovery of Jasprit, Washington, and Nitish comes as a major boost for the Indian team.