Team India suffered a massive blow ahead of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand with Rohit Sharma ruled out of the tour. Meanwhile, the batsman from Karnataka Mayank Agarwal will join the side as his replacement. Mayank has been part of various ODI squads but is yet to make his limited-overs debut for India.
Vice-captain Rohit Sharma sustained a left calf muscle strain during the fifth T20I against New Zealand at Tauranga on Sunday. He picked up the injury while sneaking in a single and subsequently decided to retire hurt after playing a fine knock of 60runs. Rohit underwent an MRI scan in Hamilton on Monday. The opening batsman has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI and the Test series and will be referred to the National Cricket Academy for further management of his injury.
Read More: India announce Test squad for New Zealand series
Although it will be a setback for India, but it provides youngsters like Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal with brilliant opportunities to grab the eyeballs. Shaw is expected to make his debut, opening the batting alongside KL Rahul in the absence of both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, who is recovering from a shoulder injury himself.
However, if the management decided to continue with KL Rahul in the middle-order, doors might open for Mayank Agarwal. The batsman from Karnataka is a consistent performer in the domestic cricket and has shown his abilities in the Test format of the game. After sealing his berth in the red-ball cricket, Mayank will be keen to showcase his attacking game in challenging conditions.
India's ODI Squad For New Zealand Series:
Lokesh Rahul(w), Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Prithvi Shaw, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav, Shardul Thakur
