The Indian team's performance under Shreyas Iyer during tours in Ireland and England has not shown significant results. During the visit to Ireland, the team suffered a humiliating 0-2 defeat. Furthermore, in a T20 series in England, India was defeated 0-4. During the European tour, the Indian team's spinners also failed to perform effectively, which was one of the main reasons for the losses.
The poor performance of the spinners forced the selection committee to look for new options. Consequently, Kunal Pandya's name emerged in discussions, who is being considered as a potential all-round spinner candidate. According to The Times of India, the 35-year-old Kunal became a subject of discussion among the selection committee members. He last played for India in an international T20 in July 2021 against Sri Lanka. Although he did not return to the national team after that, he consistently demonstrated his usefulness in domestic cricket and the IPL (Indian Premier League).
In recent international T20 matches, India has not demonstrated the effectiveness in spin bowling that the team expected. Axar Patel, whose game was mediocre, showed particularly outstanding results. In the last six international T20 matches against Ireland and England, Axar took only four wickets. Nevertheless, since the conditions in these two countries were not very favorable for spinners, his game cannot be judged solely by statistics. Despite this, the team management wishes to have reliable alternatives before major matches.
Kunal Pandya demonstrated impressive play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026. Throughout the season, he scored 226 runs and took 14 wickets. His batting average was 145.81, and he showed effectiveness with the ball. His ability to stop runs in the middle overs and break partnerships could prove useful for the team in T20 cricket.
Kunal Pandya's international experience also speaks in his favor. He has already played 19 international T20 matches for India, scoring 124 runs and taking 15 wickets. Thus, his possible return is not a gamble on an unknown player. The selection committee has the opportunity to decide whether to give him another chance, considering his current form and experience.
The discussion about Kunal Pandya's name does not mean that a decision has been made to exclude Axar Patel from the team. Axar's batting and fielding still make him an important part of the team. On the other hand, Kunal's return could provide the team with an additional option for squad changes depending on circumstances.
