Krunal Pandya (PTI Photo)NEW DELHI: Krunal Pandya has hinted that his hopes of returning to international cricket remain alive after the all-rounder was left out of India’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.Shortly after the squad was announced on Tuesday, Krunal shared a poignant message on social media, writing: “Hope is still alive”.The 35-year-old left-arm spinner has been pushing for a return to India’s T20I setup and, as reported earlier by TimesofIndia.com, had emerged as an option for the selectors following India’s recent outings in Ireland and England.Afghanistan will host India for three T20Is in New Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17, with the Arun Jaitley Stadium set to stage all three matches.Krunal misses out despite strong IPL seasonKrunal last played for India in the 2021 T20I series against Sri Lanka but has remained on the selectors’ radar following an impressive IPL 2026 campaign.Playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Krunal picked up 14 wickets during the season and once again showcased his value as a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder.India have been exploring options in that department after their recent T20I assignments. Axar Patel featured in all seven matches against Ireland and England, but managed only four wickets — two in the two T20Is against Ireland and two in four games against England.The selectors opted against recalling him for the Afghanistan series.His social media message suggests he remains hopeful of another opportunity with India.Bumrah returns, several players subject to fitnessPace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has returned to the squad for the Afghanistan series, although his selection is subject to fitness clearance.Bumrah had been sidelined after sustaining an impact injury to his knee during India’s ODI series in England. He subsequently missed the two-Test series in Sri Lanka after being advised rest by the BCCI medical team.Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana have also been included subject to fitness clearance. All three have recently dealt with injuries and are currently under Return to Play protocols.Rana suffered a Grade 1 hamstring injury during India’s third T20I against England, while Washington sustained a hamstring injury during the third ODI against England. Reddy had also been recovering from an injury that ruled him out of India’s recent assignments.As reported earlier by TimesofIndia.com, Hardik Pandya has also missed out after a late leg niggle disrupted his comeback plans at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He has not played competitive cricket since turning out for Mumbai Indians on May 24, while his last appearance for India came in the T20 World Cup final on March 8.India Squad for Afghanistan T20IsShreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*.(*Subject to fitness clearance)