India’s national cricket team will be led by all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home, starting January 3, according to an announcement made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, opener Rohit Sharma will return to captain the team in the following three ODIs, which begin on January 10. Players Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Rahul were not included in the T20I squad, but have been selected for the ODI series. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who had a knee surgery, and pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the T20 World Cup due to a back injury, were not included in either squad.
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Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan was dropped from the ODI squad after poor performance in Bangladesh. Dhawan has struggled with form in the ODI format this year, with an average of 34.40 and a strike rate of 74.21 in 2022 – the lowest he has recorded since returning in 2013.
The status of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was not included in either the ODI or the T20I squad, was not clarified by the BCCI, and it is unknown if he is injured, rested, or dropped. Pant did not play in the ODIs in Bangladesh and only returned for the two-match Test series.
Other notable omissions include pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, while Mohd. Shami returned for the ODIs after missing the 50-over series against Bangladesh. Hardik, who was named captain for the series in New Zealand after the T20 World Cup and will lead India again in the shortest format, has also been named vice-captain in the 50 over format. Middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav will serve as Hardik’s deputy in the T20I setup.
The selectors have also included uncapped pacers Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar in the T20I squad, and have replaced Shreyas Iyer with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi. Both squads include Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Yuzvendra Chahal, while Kuldeep Yadav is only included in the ODI side.
India’s squad for Sri Lanka ODIs:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
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.
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