BCCI on Tuesday announced a 16-member squad for the T20I series against New Zealand at home, starting from November 17.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has surprised fans with their squad selection for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. Some of the squad’s senior players have been given a rest, while exciting talents have been chosen for the series. BCCI on Tuesday announced a 16-member squad for the T20I series against the Kiwis at home, starting from November 17. Rohit Sharma – as expected – was named the new T20I captain of India with star batsman Virat Kohli being rested from the side. KL Rahul has been appointed as vice-captain of the team, which will also see Venkatesh Iyer and Harshal Patel receiving maiden call-ups. In total, the Men in Blue will play three T20Is against New Zealand later this month.
Apart from Kohli, the other big names to miss out from the squad are bowling sensations Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, while all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja have also been rested for the T20Is. It is believed that the reason behind resting some of the senior players might be because of the fact that India embark on a long tour of South Africa in December. Some of these players have been playing at a continuous stretch since India’s tour of England in August. It was followed by the IPL and the T20 World Cup in the UAE. The much-needed break could help them freshen up in time for the Proteas tour.
NEWS – India’s squad for T20Is against New Zealand & India ‘A’ squad for South Africa tour announced.@ImRo45 named the T20I Captain for India.
More details here – https://t.co/lt1airxgZS #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/nqJFWhkuSB
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 9, 2021
Venkatesh Iyer had a tournament to remember for Kolkata Knight Riders in this year’s IPL, scoring 370 runs at an average of 41.11 with four half-centuries. He helped the two-time champions reach the final which they eventually lost to Chennai Super Kings. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler Harshal finished as the leading wicket-taker with 32 wickets. It also included a memorable hat-trick against five-time champions Mumbai Indians.
Avesh Khan was another who impressed during the IPL. Avesh, one of the reserve players for the England Test series, finished the cash-rich league with 24 wickets for Delhi Capitals. Among the cricketers who were expected to make a comeback was Shreyas Iyer, who was one of the stand-by players at the World Cup. It also marks the return of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was the leading run-getter of IPL 2021 and its Orange Cap winner. Gaikwad scored 635 runs in CSK’s title-winning campaign and was also a part of India’s squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
Prior to the T20 World Cup, Yuzvendra Chahal’s exclusion from the tournament was widely debated. However, he returns to the squad for the upcoming T20 series against the Kiwis. He has been selected ahead of Rahul Chahar, who played only in the dead rubber against Namibia at the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, veteran spinner R Ashwin has been retained following his strong showings at the T20 World Cup.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is another player who retains his place in the side, while pacer Mohammed Siraj returns to the T20I side. Deepak Chahar, another player who missed out of the squad at the World Cup, has also been recalled. However, there were no details provided about India’s Test squad for the two-match series against New Zealand. The red-ball series against the Kiwis is set to start on November 25, following the conclusion of the T20Is on November 21.
It is also to be noted that the BCCI also named India A’s squad for the South Africa tour scheduled to start from 23rd November in Bloemfontein. The team will play three four-day matches during the tour. Priyank Panchal will be the captain, while the squad will also see the inclusion of RCB young batter Devdutt Padikkal and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s pace sensation Umran Malik.
India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj.
India ‘A’ squad for South Africa tour: Priyank Panchal (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Baba Aparajith, Upendra Yadav (wicket-keeper), K Gowtham, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Umran Malik, Ishan Porel, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
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