- By Manik Sharma
- Sun, 07 Jan 2024 07:09 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs AFG: India revealed their squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on Sunday, January 7 after a long wait. Rohit Sharma will lead the team, and Virat Kohli is included in the 16-member squad. Shubman Gill, along with young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma are the notable inclusions.
Rohit and Virat have been absent from T20Is for about 14 months. The duo made themselves available for the shortest format in a recent interaction with the chief selector of BCCI, Ajit Agarkar. Rohit replaces Hardik Pandya as the captain who took on the captain's role in T20Is, and in his absence, Suryakumar Yadav briefly held the position.
Officially ruled out of the T20I series against Afghanistan, Suryakumar and Pandya's absence poses a challenge as India prepares for ICC T20I World Cup 2024. Pandya and Suryakumar are anticipated to make their comeback during the IPL in March.
Additionally, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad's unavailability due to a finger injury further complicates the team's composition.
The series against Afghanistan marks India's last bilateral T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on June 1, immediately following the IPL. After the three T20Is against Afghanistan scheduled for January 11, 14, and 17, India will feature in a five-Test home series against England starting on January 25.
After that, players will disperse to join their respective IPL teams for the 2024 season. The IPL will conclude just a couple of weeks before the T20 World Cup.
India T20I Squad For 3-match T20I Series: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
