MUMBAI: Off-spinning allrounder Washington Sundar, who missed the two-Test series in Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury, has been cleared to play in India’s upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi, TOI has learnt.However, team management and selectors are still awaiting fitness updates on pacer Jasprit Bumrah and seam-bowling allrounders Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who were picked for the series subject to clearing their fitness tests.“Sundar was cleared by the BCCI’s medical team after his fitness test, which included a match simulation exercise, at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Sept 4. Bumrah, Rana and Reddy underwent their first match simulation on Monday and will undergo their second on Wednesday at the CoE. After that, the CoE will provide a fitness report on the trio,” a source tracking developments told TOI. This means a final update on India’s squad could come just four days before the first match of the series. Sundar’s availability, nevertheless, is a boost for India, who now await clarity on the other three players.Bumrah was ruled out of the Test series in Sri Lanka due to an on-field knee injury sustained during India’s white-ball tour of England. Rana suffered a hamstring injury during the England tour in July, while Reddy missed both the UK and Sri Lanka tours due to a quadriceps injury.India had named a full-strength squad, led by Shreyas Iyer, for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with star allrounder Hardik Pandya the notable absentee as he continues to recover from injury. It is almost the same squad that will travel to Japan for the Asian Games.
