Naman Dira included in India squad for Tiruvannanthapuram match, Mohammad Siraj excluded

Rajat Patidar, captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team, is having a busy year in 2026. After helping his team win the championship for the second consecutive time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he received another significant award.

The Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Mangubhai Chagambhai Patel, conferred the honorary doctorate upon Patidar. Patidar shared a photo of this special moment on social media. At the award ceremony, he was dressed in a traditional magenta kurta and white pajamas, with a blue ceremonial scarf draped over his shoulders. In the caption, he wrote: 'An incredibly special moment of pride and gratitude. Receiving an honorary doctorate from the esteemed Governor of Madhya Pradesh is a great honor for me. This is an achievement I will always cherish.'

Patidar led RCB to its first IPL title in 2025, and then the team won a second trophy in a row by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2026 final. With this achievement, Patidar became the third captain in IPL history whose team won the title two seasons in a row, following Mahendra Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

In addition to his captaincy duties, Rajat Patidar has made a significant contribution to the game as a batsman. In the 2026 season, he scored 501 runs in 14 matches, with an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 192.69. In IPL 2026, he scored five half-centuries.

Rajat Patidar will be back on the field soon. He has been selected for the India-A squad for a three-match unofficial series against Australia-A. Currently, a two-match unofficial test series is underway between the two teams, which India-A won in the first match by a score of 162 runs. The ODI series will begin on October 6th. All three matches will take place in Puducherry. This series will be important for Patidar, as his performance may attract the attention of the Indian national team selectors. He will have the opportunity to demonstrate his attacking abilities in the unofficial ODI series against Australia-A.

India has taken a 2-0 lead in the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan. The third and final match is scheduled for September 17 (Thursday) at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Following the securing of victory in the series, the probability of changes in the Indian team's squad increases.

15-year-old Vaivava Suryavanshi was not in India's starting lineup in the first two T20 matches. In the first match, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma batted at the top order, and the Indian team retained the same starting six in the second match.

After the game, Shreyas Iyer stated that the team aims to give all players an opportunity to adapt to the field and conditions, as well as gain experience from practice matches. Therefore, there is a possibility of giving a chance to players who have been outside the squad so far, and some changes in the team combination may also occur.

Thus, the path is open for 'Baby Boss' to get a chance to play in the third T20 match. Previously, Vaivava demonstrated excellent performance in the T20 series against Zimbabwe, winning the 'Player of the Series' title with 151 runs. Despite this, he had to remain on the bench in the first two matches against Afghanistan.

Now all attention is focused on the match on September 17. If the team management decides to make changes, Vaivava may get his first chance to play an international T20 match in India.

Currently, Vaivava has scored 193 runs in 6 matches for India, with an average strike rate of 189.21, including two half-centuries. In these six games, Vaivava hit 16 fours and 14 sixes.

The Indian team defeated Afghanistan in the first match of the three-match T20 series, winning by seven wickets. After a confident start, the Indian squad aims to win the second game to gain an advantage in the series.

Young 15-year-old batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who impressed with his powerful batting during the visit to Zimbabwe, did not get a chance to play in the first match against Afghanistan. Before the game, there were active discussions among fans regarding Vaibhav Suryavanshi's participation.

Despite India's comfortable seven-wicket victory, the decision not to include Vaibhav in the starting lineup sparked controversy. Former Indian selector and experienced player Krishnamachari Shrikant sharply criticized this decision by the team management.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shrikant noted that it was completely unclear why the player, who was the best in the previous match of the series, was suddenly excluded. He joked that when Vaibhav Suryavanshi didn't play yesterday, they started watching movies instead of the match on TV. His wife also expressed dissatisfaction, questioning why the star from the previous match was absent from the team today. He added that if such an ordinary viewer asks this question, one should consider what the player himself is going through.

Shrikant believes that constantly including and excluding a young athlete undermines his confidence. He stated that the team is treating Vaibhav incorrectly. Now, when he steps onto the field for the next match, he will have the fear of being excluded again if he does not score runs.

Shrikant emphasized that this young batsman, who has proven his worth in domestic cricket, India-A, IPL, and international T20, should be given consistent opportunities. Furthermore, he expressed regret over the treatment of Sanju Samson. He noted that Samson is sometimes included in the team and sometimes suddenly excluded, which does not contribute to the stability of any player.

It turned out that Vaibhav Suryavanshi participated in the final match of the Theleef Trophy, a red-ball tournament, just two days before the series against Afghanistan. Because of this, he had fewer opportunities to train with white balls (T20). In the first match, Sanju Samson played in place of him in the opening batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. Although Samson was dismissed after scoring 10 runs, the Indian team achieved the target of 157 runs in just 13.4 overs.