Rohit Sharma is appointed as the T20I captain, and Virat Kohli marks a return as BCCI reveals the squad for the Afghanistan series. BCCI revealed India’s T20I squad against Afghanistan, featuring the noteworthy comeback of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, absent from T20Is since the 2022 World Cup.
Rohit will captain the side, and both players, regulars in ODIs and Tests, return to the T20 format ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in June in the West Indies and the USA. There was uncertainty about Rohit and Kohli making a comeback, given the rise of young players.
However, their return seems linked to Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya being sidelined due to injuries, making Rohit and Kohli important senior additions to the squad. Furthermore, both openers, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, stay in the squad, while Ishan Kishan is left out.
Sanju Samson makes a comeback, replacing Kishan, following his impressive century in the recent ODI series against South Africa, highlighting his skills in white-ball cricket. Jitesh Sharma, another wicketkeeper, also maintains his place in the squad.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are returning to play for India in T20I after a short break
In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Ravi Bishnoi will spearhead the Indian spin attack, with Ravindra Jadeja taking a rest. Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar retain their roles as the primary pacers, while Prasidh Krishna is omitted due to subpar performances in the T20 format.
The Afghanistan series kicks off on January 11, commencing at Mohali’s Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, followed by the second match on January 14 in Indore and the final encounter on the 17th at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
This series marks India’s last T20I before the World Cup in June, with players like Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya unavailable due to injuries. Following a demanding two-match Test series against South Africa, which concluded in a 1-1 draw, selectors granted a break to premier pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
India’s squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
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