Starting on 3 August, India will be facing off against West Indies in a five-match T20I series. Surprisingly, neither Virat Kohli nor Rohit Sharma will be part of the team.
Yes, you heard it right. Hardik Pandya will be leading the team with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy. Ajit Agarkar, the newly-appointed chairman of selectors for BCCI, has placed his faith in young talents Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who have made it into the 15-member squad for India.
Other players who have returned to the squad include Avesh Khan, Sanju Samson, and Ravi Bishnoi. However, players such as Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, and Prithvi Shaw did not make the cut.
ALSO READ: India’s West Indies Tour: BCCI announces squad; Yashasvi Jaiswal makes it to the team, Cheteshwar Pujara dropped
Pacer Mukesh Kumar has retained his place and will have to prove himself in the five matches scheduled to be played across Trinidad, Guyana, and Lauderhill, Florida.
The first match will be held at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad on 3 August, followed by the second match at the Guyana National Stadium in Guyana on 6 August. The third match will also be hosted at the same venue on 8 August. The fourth and fifth T20I fixtures will be played at the Broward County Stadium in Florida on 12 and 13 August, respectively.
Here’s India’s T20I squad:
Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (Vice-captain), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya (Captain), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.