Virat, Rohit Excluded; Hardik Pandya To Lead as India Name Squad For West Indies T20Is
Hardik Pandya will lead the Indian team [Source: Twitter]
In a significant development, the BCCI has named a strong 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming T20I series against West Indies. Experienced all-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead the team, with veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being excluded from the T20I setup.
While there are a few familiar faces, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh, the squad also sees the inclusion of two youngsters- Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma- who were impressive in the IPL 2023. Sanju Samson earns a place as the keeper-batter alongside Kishan, while Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan have been recalled.
Ravindra Jadeja doesn’t find a spot in the squad, with Axar Patel being preferred as the solitary spin-bowling allrounder. The experienced duo of Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will spearhead the Indian spin attack alongside Bishnoi, while Mukesh Kumar makes it into the side as the fourth seamer.
Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw and Jitesh Sharma, who were a part of the squad that took on New Zealand earlier this year, are the ones to miss out this time. Also, there is still no place for Rinku Singh, who became a household name during the IPL 2023 by performing admirably in the tournament.
If sources be believed, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma aren’t in India’s T20I plans anymore, as the selectors have shown them the exit door. So, it’s speculated that a new era has begun under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, who will likely captain a team full of youngsters in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean next year.
India's squad for West Indies T20Is
Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
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