All-round star Hardik Pandya will lead the Indian cricket team in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka which begins in Mumbai on January 3, the BCCI announced in a statement late Tuesday night. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul are not part of the T20I team. Rohit returns to lead Team India in the ODI series against the same opponents, starting on January 10. While Suryakumar Yadav will be the vice-captain of the side in the T20I series, Hardik will be Rohit’s deputy in the ODIs.
While Rohit is still recovering from a thumb injury, BCCI’s press release did not mention whether Pandya’s appointment was a permanent change or just for one series.
Pants not included in T20Is, ODIs
The most notable absentee from both teams was Rishabh Pant, who was part of India’s recent test series victory against Bangladesh. Wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan is included in both the ODI and T20I squads. Sanju Samson is part of the T20I team. Rahul, who is not part of the T20I squad, has been named wicket-keeper in the ODIs.
Pant has been asked to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for two weeks for a knee-strengthening rehabilitation program, according to PTI news agency. Therefore, he will miss the entire Sri Lanka series. But BCCI’s statement doesn’t mention whether he rested or fell.
Dhawan is not part of the ODI team
Another major omission is Shikhar Dhawan from the ODI team. Ironically, he even led the New Zealand side for one series before the Bangladesh tour, but his dismal drop in scoring percentage and his failure to put up a run of consistent scores were to his detriment .
Rohit is a white-ball giant and Shubman Gill in excellent ODI form with Ishan Kishan hitting the fastest double hundred less than a month ago, India has multiple options in the opener role. Therefore, Dhawan seemed to be left out.
Transition?
Hardik’s promotion as T20I skipper while serving as Rohit’s deputy in the ODIs can be seen as a hint of a transition the side is likely to experience in the coming months.
Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to IPL triumph at the 2022 edition, was touted as Rohit’s replacement after India lost to England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. The T20I team has a fresh look with two uncapped pacers Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar being included in the shortest format.
Mavi was picked up by Titans for Rs 6 crore while Bengal’s Mukesh was picked up by Delhi Capitals for Rs 5.50 crore. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi, two powerful IPL artists, made it to the T20I side. The ODI side has a more experienced look with Mohammed Shami coming back from a shoulder injury.
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.
India’s squad for ODIs in Sri Lanka:Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Week), Ishan Kishan (Week), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
With PTI inputs
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