BCCI just announced the squads for an all-format tour to the West Indies. Virat Kohli will lead the side in all formats. Alongside him, he has Rohit Sharma as his white-ball deputy and Ajinkya Rahane for the test matches.
Shikhar Dhawan is geared up to be back as an opener while Rishabh Pant has been named the wicketkeeper across all the formats. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the white ball leg but is back for the test matches.
The limited-overs squad has seen comeback faces Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey owing to their stupendous form in List A cricket. Both of them have been performing mighty well against the West Indies A Side.
As far as the bowling side is concerned, Navdeep Saini has received a maiden call-up while Khaleel Ahmed has made a comeback.
Having a successful IPL campaign Chahar Brothers have also been given a go in the T20s. Selectors have stuck with Krunal Pandya for the T20s and have rested the wrist spin duo of Chahal and Kuldeep.
Rest for Rohit Sharma has also been nullified as the man has been included in squads of all three formats. Wridhhiman
Saha, who was battling an injury for a long time has made a comeback in the whites.
Speaking to the press, MSK Prasad stressed on the importance of including a youngster in the side.
“We need to give opportunities to youngsters who will play for long”- said MSK Prasad.
He also stated that including Srikar Bharat was very close for getting a Test call-up. They had to choose between giving Saha a comeback or giving a Bharat a maiden call.
“We have taken India A performances into consideration. In the longer format, KS Bharat was very, very close to get selected. We have an unwritten norm when a senior cricketer is injured, he should get a comeback opportunity. That”s what we have given to Saha,” MSK Prasad said.
Prasad also spoke about the unavailability of MS Dhoni who is scheduled to join paramilitary forces.
“Dhoni expressed his unavailability for the tour but we have a road map for coming days and future of Indian Cricket. “
The test specialists Rahane, Pujara, Vihari, Ashwin and Ishant Sharma are back in the side. The test series will mark the beginning of ICC Test Championship for the Indian side.
Full Squads For The West Indies Tour
India’s squad for 2 Tests: Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, C Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (WK) Wriddhiman Saha (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav
India’s squad for 3 ODIs: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini
India’s squad for 3 T20Is: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini
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