Hardik Pandya, Nitish Reddy Clear Fitness Hurdle for Afghanistan T20Is; Bumrah's Status Still Undecided

India's T20I side is set to get its first real look at a full-strength all-rounder group in months. Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been declared fit and available for selection ahead of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which starts September 13 in Delhi, according to a report by the Times of India. That report has since been cited by News18, Cricket Addictor, NewsX, Khelnow and Newsbytes App, all pointing back to the same original account.

According to the Times of India, both players have been training at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and are said to be "operating at full capacity." A source tracking the situation told the outlet that Reddy only goes home on weekends, while Pandya has relocated his base to Bengaluru entirely to focus on his return.

Both players have been out for a while. Pandya was sidelined by recurring back spasms that forced him out of the second half of Mumbai Indians' IPL 2026 campaign, then dealt with a quadriceps strain and a separate leg injury, according to Cricket Addictor. That kept him off India's white-ball tour of Ireland, England and Zimbabwe. Reddy suffered a serious left quadriceps injury during the final ODI against England at Lord's, per the same report.

Sundar close, Bumrah still a question mark

Washington Sundar is described as nearing the clearances needed for selection. He spent this past weekend training in Chennai and is expected back at the CoE this week to complete his fitness assessment, the Times of India reported. His workload has been ramped up gradually, and a source told the outlet the Afghanistan series is the "practical target" for easing him back into the shortest format.

Jasprit Bumrah's situation is murkier. The pace bowler missed both Tests against Sri Lanka earlier this month and has been training at the CoE, but the team management is handling him cautiously with the Test series against New Zealand later this year as the priority, according to the Times of India and Newsbytes App. A source told the Times of India that "Bumrah is progressing well," and that ahead of the 2027 World Cup the original plan had him focused on ODIs and Tests before the knee injury changed the calculus. His availability for the Afghanistan T20Is is described as touch-and-go, though sources say the Asian Games appear on track barring setbacks in rehab.

BCCI raises the fitness bar

The BCCI has tightened its fitness testing regime for centrally contracted players. According to newsfirstprime, the board has added a demanding "Bronco test" alongside the long-standing Yo-Yo test, and it was administered at the CoE shortly after the Sri Lanka series wrapped up.

The Bronco test requires players to complete shuttle runs of 20, 40 and 60 metres, adding up to 240 metres per set, across five sets without a break, totaling 1,200 metres. The target time is 5 minutes 20 seconds, on top of a separate 2-kilometer run that must be completed in nine to ten minutes.

Players who went through testing include Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh, per newsfirstprime. Pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were held out of that immediate testing group and given rest days to manage workload from the Sri Lanka series.

The squad picture behind it all

This fitness news arrives as India's white-ball side struggles through a rough T20I stretch. India's white-ball side struggled badly against Ireland and England, and the selectors are reportedly reconsidering personnel in the spin-bowling all-rounder slot. Axar Patel played all seven T20Is on that tour but managed only four wickets, according to Newsbytes App. Krunal Pandya, who hasn't played T20Is for India since a 2021 series against Sri Lanka, had a strong IPL 2026 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, taking 14 wickets at an economy of 8.41 while scoring 226 runs at a strike rate of 145.80, the same report noted.

India's senior selection committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, is expected to meet this week to finalize the 15-man squad for the Afghanistan series, according to multiple reports including the Times of India and News18. No official squad has been announced as of this writing. Whether Bumrah makes that list, or gets held back entirely for the Asian Games and the New Zealand Tests, is the open question the selectors will have to answer in the coming days.