BCCI announces T20I and ODI squads for upcoming series against Sri Lanka and Australia

The Men in Blue finished their 2019 on a successful note as Virat Kohli and Co clinched the three-match ODI series against West Indies. After enduring a triumphant 2019, India’s campaign for 2020 kicks off against Sri Lanka and Australia. India are slated to play a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, followed by a three-match ODI series against Australia.

Ahead of the much-awaited T20I and ODI series, India have announced their squad to encounter Sri Lanka and Australia. Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah- who was sidelined from the game due to injuries- is all set to mark his comeback into international cricket. Bumrah last played for India in the West Indies Tests and missed Test series and limited-overs assignments against South Africa and Bangladesh at home. The 26-year-old has emerged as a vital cog for India through his lethal yorkers and pin-point accuracy in death overs.

After breaking into the ODI side in 2016, the speedster has donned the coloured jersey in 58 ODIs and has scalped 103 wickets. Opener Shikhar Dhawan has also been drafted back into the ODI and T20 squad after the left-hander missed the T20I series against West Indies due to a knee injury.

Rohit Sharma has been rested for Sri Lanka series

However, one notable exclusion from the T20I squad is of Rohit Sharma. The ace Indian opener, who has been playing non-stop cricket throughout the year, has been rested against Sri Lanka. Rohit has been in sublime form this year and has amassed 2442 runs in 2019. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul– who delivered impressive performances in the West Indies series- is touted to open the innings alongside Shikhar Dhawan.

Suryakumar Yadav was also anticipated to be included in the squad due to his red-hot form. However, the 29-year-old has not been included in either squad. Earlier, there were speculations about Suryakumar Yadav replacing Kedar Jadhav for the Australia series. Based on the current form, Ravindra Jadeja has also been included in the squad for both the series.

Following his match-winning performances against West Indies, Shreyas Iyer has hinted that he has ended the No.4 conundrum of Team India. Sanju Samson has also been included in the squad alongside Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur and Sanju Samson. Youngster Saini has been included in the squad in place of Mohammed Shami, who has also been rested for the T20I series. The right-handed speedster has delivered formidable bowling performances on a consistent basis this year.

Navdeep Saini has also been included in the ODI squad for Australia series. He will be assisting Jasprit Bumrah alongside Shardul Thakur. The spin-twins of India- Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be steering the spin department.

Here are the squads:

India Squad (T20Is against Sri Lanka): Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Manish Pandey, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson.

India Squad (ODI vs Australia): Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami

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