Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma, two young Indian batters, were both nominated to India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) team for the upcoming West Indies tour.
In India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their upcoming tour of the West Indies, two promising young batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma, earned their first national T20I callups. In the five-game series, Hardik Pandya will serve as captain, with Suryakumar Yadav as his second-in-command. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been included in the ODI and Test teams for the upcoming series against the West Indies, but they have been left out of the T20I roster. India’s T20I squad also welcomed back leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Ajit Agarkar, recently named chief selector of the BCCI, is leading the selection process for the first time.
With a strike rate of 142 or above in 47 games, while batting at No. 5, Varma has caught the eye of the national selection panel chaired by Ajit Agarkar after two impressive seasons with the Mumbai Indians. The West Indies series represents Jaiswal’s first opportunity to play in a Test match.
The other two openers in the squad are Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, in addition to Jaiswal. Both Sanju Samson and Kishan are available as wicketkeepers. The two most seasoned players on the squad are Suryakumar and Pandya. Four spinners (Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi) and four fast bowlers (Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar) have also been approved by the selectors.
The name of powerful Kolkata Knight Riders batter Rinku Singh circulated prior to squad selection, but he was left off the final roster.
“The Senior Men’s Selection Committee on Wednesday picked India’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against West Indies to be played in the Caribbean Islands and in Florida, USA,” the BCCI announced.
T20I squad: Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
