Rishabh Pant Gets THIS Promotion Ahead of the West Indies Twenty20 International Series

Rishabh Pant is the new vice-captain of the Indian cricket team. He will take over the responsibility of the Indian side for the three T20Is after KL Rahul was ruled out due to injury. The injuries in the Indian team are quiet a few, with Washington Sundar being ruled out due to hamstring injury. Axar Patel was also ruled out due to an injury before the start of the series.

Pant was talked about as the new captain during the tour of South Africa after Virat Kohli stepped down from all formats. This is the first time that Rishabh Pant will be in a leadership role of the Indian cricket team. He has been captain of the Delhi Capitals side in the IPL. With KL Rahul and Axar Patel ruled out, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda have been added as a cover. The three-match T20I series against the West Indies will be played in Kolkata. The matches will be played on February 16,18 and 20 at the Eden Gardens. Crowds will be allowed upto 75 percent for the matches.

Read – Rishabh Pant Emulates MS Dhoni

Virat Kohli Not in Bad Form, says Vikram Rathour

On the other hand, there is some concern over the form of Virat Kohli. The former India cricket team captain had a lean run in the ODIs, averaging just 8.26 in the three-match series. In the last 2-3 years, he has not hit a century in any format. With the century drought prolonging, fans are concerned about Virat Kohli’s form.

But, Indian cricket team batting coach Vikram Rathour has dismissed the reports that Virat Kohli was not in poor form. “I don’t think he’s going through a lean phase. I understand he had a poor series against the West Indies (in ODIs) but no conversation as such. He’s batting really well in the nets and the kind of preparation he’s putting in. We are waiting for (it). I’m certain that in one of these innings he will be back among runs,” Rathour said.

India will play a total of six Twenty20 Internationals from February to March as they prepare for the ICC World T20 2022. The tournament will be held in Australia. After the end of the Sri Lanka and West Indies series, the Indian players will be playing in the IPL from March 27 till the end of May.

India Squad for T20I Series against West Indies

Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain) (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Kuldeep Yadav