Gurkeerat Mann and S Aravind the newcomers as BCCI announce Indian T20 & ODI squads
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian squad for the three T20s and first three ODIs for the upcoming series against South Africa. Putting all speculation to rest, MS Dhoni was confirmed as the skipper for both formats with all-rounder Gurkeerat Mann and medium pacer Sreenath Aravind the newcomers.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee of the BCCI met earlier today in Bengaluru to name the squads but stressed that no discussion had been held on the issue of captaincy, stating that they were content with Dhoni’s leadership.
As expected, the big guns including the likes of Dhoni and Test skipper Virat Kohli, who were rested for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe, has been recalled into the side. But there was no place for either Ravindra Jadeja or Mohammad Shami who remains on the sidelines while Stuart Binny made the cut in both squads.
Gurkeerat was rewarded for his excellent performances for the India A team as he was named in the 15-man squad for the first three ODIs and will fight it out with Binny for the all-rounder's spot. Aravind has been named in the T20 squad based on his performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL though he was overlooked for the two T20s against Zimbabwe earlier in the year.
It will be India’s toughest assignment yet post the 2015 World Cup campaign where they defied expectations to reach the semi-final stage. They were in for a rude shock however as they were beaten by a spirited Bangladesh side 2-1 in a three-match ODI series before India restored order by winning all three ODIs against Zimbabwe, despite fielding an under-strength side.
The T20 series kicks off on October 2nd at Dharamsala before the action moves to Cuttack and then Kolkata. The first three ODIs meanwhile will be played at Kanpur, Indore and Rajkot on October 11, 14 and 18 respectively.
T20 squad: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C), Stuart Binny, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Mohit Sharma, Amit Mishra, Sreenath Aravind
ODI squad (First 3 ODIs): MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Gurkeerat Mann, Amit Mishra, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav