- By Ankit Bisht
- Thu, 06 Jul 2023 05:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
JE Sports Desk: Ajit Agarkar's first test as men's team chief selector proved to be a bittersweet affair as the Board of Control for India (BCCI) announced a 16-member T20I squad for the West Indies series.
India ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma and senior player Virat Kohli continue to be out of the T20I squad as youngsters Tilak Verma and Yashasvi Jaiswal were named in the team while Sanju Samson and Arshdeep Singh made their return for the Caribbean tour.
IPL star Rinku Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad were among the noted absentee from the squad amid the talks of transition in India's T20I side. All-rounder Hardik Pandya is the defacto captain of the T20I side after the semifinal exit from last year's T20 World Cup.
Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra feels that Pandya will be India's leader in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States of America.
"Hardik Pandya, who had been given the captaincy after the T20 World Cup - it seems like that's now the final fixture, that Hardik Pandya will lead the Indian T20 team for times to come, which means until the upcoming World Cup," Aakash Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
"I feel they had already moved in that direction and it is still the same, nothing has changed. None of the seniors have been picked. KL Rahul is unavailable but now it is extended that you have not played Rohit and Kohli since the World Cup," he added.
The veteran opener further felt promising batter Gaikwad should have been picked in the T20I side at the back of his recent form.
"When the selection happens, the discussion is on who is missing rather than who all are there. You have picked three openers - Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. A noticeable absentee is Ruturaj Gaikwad. You have to feel for him. You expected him to be there but everyone cannot come," Chopra said.
West Indies and India will lock horns in five-match T20I series beginning August 3 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad after the conclusion of two Tests and three ODIs.
India's T20I squad for WI series: Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (vice-captain), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (captain), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.