Suryakumar Yadav named India’s Twenty20 captain, Hardik Pandya snubbed
Shubman Gill named vice-captain as KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer return to squad
Dubai: Top-ranked Twenty20 batter Suryakumar Yadav will lead India in the three-match Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka, to begin on July 27 while all-rounder and former vice-captain Hardik Pandya, who was expected to take charge in the shortest format, has been snubbed from the role.
The Indian board have named a full-strength squad for the three-match One-Day Internationals with skipper Rohit Sharma leading the squad. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer return to the squad, while Pandya, who was the vice-captain and played a key role in India's triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup, has been left out of the ODI squad. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the series.
Washington Sundar returns to both formats
Shubman Gill, who led the team for the five-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe, has been named the vice-captain with player of that series Washington Sundar making his come back into both the squads. Shreyas Iyer, who was out of the Central Contract, also returns to the squad. Pandya, who played a key role in India's triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup, has been left out of the ODI squad.
Pandya had led India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is, apart from leading Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League title in their inugural season and the final the following year, which they lost to Chennai Super Kings before returning to lead Mumbai Indians. However, the 30-year-old's fitness concerns and the workload management may have been the possible factors in the decision in not giving him the captaincy.
Team India will play three T20Is and as many ODIs in the series. The T20I leg of the series, which will take place in Pallekele, kicks off on July 27 and concludes on July 30, while the ODIs will be played in Colombo, from August 2.
The seniors, barring Bumrah, have accepted the request of the new coach Gautam Gambhir, who will be eager to finalise the team combination for the Champions Trophy to be held next year. India will only play six ODIs before the tournament, including three matches against England in January 2025.
“The BCCI will continue to monitor player availability and participation in the upcoming domestic cricket season, 2024-25,” said a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The squads:
T20: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
ODI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.