No Virat, No Rohit! 6 Players dropped in India’s T20 squad for WI tour: Change has begun on day one of Ajit Agarkar’s stint as chief selector
Youngsters Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal have made it into India’s 15-person squad for the five-match T20 series against the West Indies, the tour begins on August 3. With the exception of granting the two IPL 2023 sensations their first India calls-ups, Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI’s newly appointed head of selection, hasn’t rung in too many opportunities in the Hardik Pandya-led T20I set-up.
Jaiswal accomplished a trifecta by being chosen for the 20-over squad after previously being chosen for the Test and ODI squads, while Varma was recognised for his outstanding back-to-back seasons with the Mumbai Indians. In India’s attempt to make a transitional move beginning with the T20Is with the World Cup in mind next year, neither Virat Kohli nor Rohit Sharma — on predicted lines — have yet to find a spot.
Hardik Pandya to lead India’s T20 squad for West Indies tour in absence of Rohit Sharma
Suryakumar Yadav serves as Hardik’s backup in the squad, which is full of fresh talent and includes a number of players who did not play in the New Zealand series earlier this year. Sanju Samson, Avesh Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi are all returned from injury, along with leg-spinner Avesh Khan.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, and Prithvi Shaw are among those who didn’t make the cut. Mukesh Kumar, a fast bowler, has kept his spot, although it is still unclear whether he will play in any of the five matches that will be played in Trinidad, Guyana, and Lauderhill, Florida.
Further, let’s talk about the guys of the moment—Varma and Jaiswal in particular, whose stocks are still rising.
Jaiswal, Varma earn a spot in the national team after a magnificent IPL season
Jaiswal, a 22-year-old from Mumbai, had an outstanding IPL 2023 season with Rajasthan Royals, amassing 625 runs from 14 matches, including the record-breaking fastest fifty in IPL history against Kolkata Knight Riders off just 13 balls.
This was in addition to an earlier century (124 against the Mumbai Indians) and four further half-centuries. His ascent across all platforms made him a clear future pick, which Agarkar and his coworkers correctly observed and supported.
Meanwhile, Varma carried on this season where he left off for MI. The impact of Varma’s 343 runs in 11 matches was significantly greater, even if the 20-year-old did not match his IPL 2022 total. Varma, who cost 1.7 crore, scored a number of important runs, including an undefeated 84 off 46 balls in MI’s IPL 2023 first game and a 17-ball 37 against Sunrisers Hyderabad that had a 217 strike-rate. Varma impressed so many people that MI captain Rohit Sharma and former coach Ravi Shastri encouraged him to play for India in the near future.
Rinku Singh and senior players snubbed
The omission of Rinku Singh, who had received a lot of support to join India’s squad, is one of the biggest surprises in the squad. The southpaw was one of the top players in IPL 2023 and stood out for his ability to finish. Many people thought Rinku would be included in the team for the T20I series because India was in desperate need of a strong finisher. Rinku scored 474 runs at a strike rate of nearly 150 and an average of 59.25.
Along with Rinku, veteran players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were once again passed over. The most recent action is just another sign that the selectors have changed their minds and that Rohit and Kohli won’t likely feature in another T20I.
Senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were not chosen for India’s T20I squad for the five-match T20I series against WI, despite being a part of the ODI and Test sides because the selectors want to give youthful talent a chance.
Click here to check out the full list of India’s T20 squad for West Indies tour.
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