After a thumping win by 4-1 in the ODI series against Australia, team India now prepares itself for the shortest format of the game. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the 15-man squad for the T20I series.
Shikhar Dhawan, who had opted out of the ODI series, has made a return to the squad. Ajinkya Rahane, who played superbly in the absence of Dhawan in the ODIs scoring 4 fifties in the series, didn’t find a place in the T20I squad.
The veteran pacer Ashish Nehra has made a return to the squad after missing the solitary T20I in Sri Lanka. He last played for India in the T20I series against England earlier this year. Dinesh Karthik has also been recalled after last featuring in the T20I on the tour to the Caribbean.
Shardul Thakur, who was a part of the squad for the Sri Lankan T20I last month, has been dropped. In what comes as a surprise move, Rishabh Pant has not been considered for selection in the team. He played for India against Windies earlier this year. He was expected to make the cut but unfortunately, failed to find a place.
The 2 wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have retained their places with the left-arm spinner Axar Patel also holding onto his spot. The pace department will be handled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. The batting order is pretty much the same that played in the ODI series against Australia.
The 3 T20Is will be played in Ranchi, Guwahati and Hyderabad on October 7, 10 and 13 respectively.
India’s T20I squad for the Australian series
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvenshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Axar Patel
#TeamIndia for three-match T20I series against Australia announced #INDvAUS
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 1, 2017
TEAM: Kohli (Capt),Rohit (VC), Shikhar, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MSD(wk), Hardik, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvi, Nehra, Axar. https://t.co/uoeu1UzDny
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 1, 2017
