Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead India in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home, starting on January 3, while opener Rohit Sharma will return for the three ODIs that follow, the BCCI announced on Tuesday. The experienced players Rohit, Virat Kohli and Rahul didn’t find a space in the T20I squad but they all have been included for the ODI series that begins on January 10. On the other hand, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who underwent a knee-surgery, along with pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the T20 World Cup with back injury, have not been included in both the squads. Me a nwh i l e, ve t e r a n opener Shikhar Dhawan has been dropped from the ODI squad after a poor run in Bangladesh.
Dhawan has been battling poor form in the ODI format this year and his average of 34.40 and the strike rate of 74.21 in 2022 is the lowest he has registered ever since his comeback in 2013. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant was not included in either the ODI or the T20I squad and the BCCI media release didn’t clarify if he was injured, rested or dropped. The wicketkeeper-batter didn’t feature in the ODIs in Bangladesh as well before returning for the two-match Test series. The other notable omission is that of pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar while Mohd. Shami returned for ODIs after missing the 50-over match series against Bangladesh.
Interestingly, Hardik, who will lead India again in the shortest format after being named skipper for the series in New Zealand immediately after the T20 World Cup, has also been elevated as the vicecaptain in the 50 over format despite KL Rahul’s presence in the squad. Middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav will be Hardik’s deputy in the T20I setup. The selectors have also included uncapped pacers Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar in the squad for the three-match T20I series. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have been omitted from the T20I squad in favour of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi.
The only surprise call is that of Shivam Mavi, who received his maiden call-up to the national squad. The 24-year-old UP pacer has been included for the T20I series. While Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal are part of both the squads, Kuldeep Yadav finds place only in the ODI side. India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar