BCCI announces India’s squad
BCCI has named the final squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. It includes Virat Kohli as captain, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Shreyas Iyer, Vijay Shankar, Krunal Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.
The decision to leave out Shikhar Dhawan was much debated in media circles but it appears that it was a tactical decision. Rishabh Pant had been selected ahead of Dhawan in earlier games because he can keep wickets if called upon. With five specialist batsmen (including Karthik) and only three specialist bowlers, the selection committee wanted another bowling option – so they went with Bumrah.
Karthik has only played one game against Australia in this tournament but he has taken five catches while batting at No 6 or 7. He could be used to plug any potential gaps in the team caused by injuries or rain interruptions.
Iyer was also recalled despite scoring just 27 runs from two innings since his recall into the ODI side last month and has not played a T20 international since March 2018.
Suresh Raina named captain in A Squad
India squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, A Squad
Suresh Raina (c), Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj.
Batsmen in the B Squad are – Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Vijay Shankar. All-rounders in the B Squad are – Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. Spinners in the B Squad are – Jaydev Unadkat and Khaleel Ahmed. Fast bowlers in the B Squad are – Jasprit Bumrah and Siddarth Kaul. Injured members of both squads include Mohd Siraj and Washington Sundar.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni returns as limited overs skipper
India named their squads for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Harare on Wednesday, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni returning as captain for limited overs cricket.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has been in and out of the team since announcing his retirement from Test cricket in December 2014, with his last one-day international appearance coming against Bangladesh at home in February 2017. He also missed out on captaining India to the final of the previous World Twenty20 – where they lost a semi-final tie against eventual champions West Indies – but he was back as captain of the ODI side. The 39-year-old will be leading an inexperienced squad which includes four uncapped players – all fast bowlers – in Rohit Sharma, Washington Sundar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Deepak Chahar.
There are three changes to the ODI squad which played the tri-series earlier this year. Forwards Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav have replaced Ambati Rayudu and Hardik Pandya who have not been included because of injury.
The legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal has replaced Axar Patel who is also injured while Shreyas Iyer has returned after missing that series because of injury.
No place for Rohit Sharma, or Shikhar Dhawan in the ODI squad
A couple of big names were excluded from the ODI squad for the upcoming series in England and against Australia, including Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. (1) It was expected that one or both would return to the side after their white-ball match assignments concluded with both their respective franchises – Mumbai Indians (2) and Delhi Capitals respectively. The selectors have chosen Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Vijay Shankar and Suresh Raina instead. This selection seems a tad surprising as Rohit Sharma has been in phenomenal form during IPL 2019 while Shikhar Dhawan has found success playing international cricket in recent times. There is also confusion about the exclusion of Lokesh Rahul who had returned to form during this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League. Rahul had last played an ODI for India in September 2018 and it is believed he may not be called up again anytime soon if at all. (3) He will however remain part of the Test team and has been included in the two-Test squads for the forthcoming tours of Ireland and England. Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul have been rested as they are recovering from injuries.
Axar Patel makes comeback in ODI side after 2 years
Axar Patel has been picked in the Indian team to replace Rishabh Pant, who was part of the squad in both Tests and ODIs. Earlier this year, Axar featured in the limited-overs fixtures against Sri Lanka and he claimed three wickets in four games, including 2/14 at Colombo. He will be making a comeback to the ODI side after two years of inactivity. The 27-year-old had last played an ODI game on January 18, 2018, against Bangladesh before undergoing a knee surgery that kept him out for almost two years. Many other players are back from an injury like KL Rahul (hamstring), Dinesh Karthik (knee), and Krunal Pandya (back).
Yuvraj Singh included in the ODI team for the first time since the 2017 World Cup
In the squad of 15 players, Yuvraj Singh has been included in the ODI team for the first time since 2017. And, Shikhar Dhawan has been rested. One of the contenders for an opener position was Mandeep Singh who was named captain of the Twenty-Twenty team for his consistent performance in ODIs and T20s. Among other players who made it to both teams are Rishabh Pant, Krunal Pandya, Manish Pandey, and Hardik Pandya. Dinesh Karthik is the wicketkeeper on the T20 side while MS Dhoni will do so in ODIs. Ambati Rayudu makes a comeback in both teams with Mohammed Siraj being dropped from the squad. Amit Mishra returns to the national fold after a gap of four years while Yuzvendra Chahal has also found a place on both sides after being left out earlier this year.
Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul make it to both ODIs and T20I squads
India team is pleased to have players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in both ODIs and T20I squads. Rishabh has done well in his first few outings as a wicketkeeper-batsman for the country, even making headlines with a brilliant 135 against Bangladesh. Rahul has also performed well with the bat. Other Indian stars like Jasprit Bumrah, Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal have found a place in the squad as well. There are some surprise inclusions too – Ishant Sharma, who last played an ODI way back in 2016, and Siddharth Kaul, who last played a T20I for India back in 2013. The side features four fast bowlers besides Bumrah – Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Kaul, and Ishant Sharma. There are two spinners too – Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. KL Rahul has been included as the second opener along with Rohit Sharma after having scored 2 centuries this year so far while Shikhar Dhawan is set to return from injury
