The national senior selection committee, in its meeting, decided to name Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka and the captain of the T20I. He has been instrumental in the team’s success in the T20Is. The committee has finalised the squad as well.
Sanju Samson was dropped from the one-day squad but was included in the team for the T20Is, which means that he is not likely to be part of the World Cup plans next year reported the Indian Express. Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul will be the wicketkeepers for the upcoming matches with Sri Lanka.
It is surprising that Rishabh Pant wasn’t included in any of the squads. The Board of Control for Cricket in India didn’t provide a clear explanation as to why the Delhi wicketkeeper wasn’t included. He was rested during the Bangladesh series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also missing from the list.
While experienced players like Sharma, Rahul, and Kohli weren’t included in the T20I squad, they were included for the upcoming five-match One-Day International series against Sri Lanka starting on January 10. In addition, all-rounder Jadeja, who had knee surgery, and pacer Jasprit were not included in the squads.
Among the unheralded inclusions is Shivam Mavi, who made his debut in the national team. The 24-year-old fast bowler was included in the squad for the three-match T20I series that will be held in Mumbai from January 3.
Prithvi Shaw, who has been in good form in the T20Is, was not included in the team despite his impressive numbers. The selectors decided to go with Ruturaj Gaikwad as the opening partner for Shubman Gill or Ishan Kishan. India’s failure to make use of the powerplay overs was a cause for concern. Yet then, Shaw’s strike rate of 151.67 in the shortest format was not considered a deciding factor again.
Squads
T20I: Pandya (C), Gill, Gaikwad, Suryakumar (VC), Hooda, Tripathi, Samson, Washington, Chahal, Axar, Arshdeep, Harshal, Umran, Mavi, Mukesh, Kishan (wk),
ODIs: Rohit (C), Gill, Kohli, Kishan (wk), Pandya (VC), Washington, Chahal, Kuldeep, Axar, Shami, Suryakumar, Shreyas, Umran, Arshdeep, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul (wk),