Hooda, Thampi named in India squad for Sri Lanka T20I series

The national selection committee sprung a rather known surprise when they announced the India squad for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka. The men in blue will be hosting the islanders in a 3-match T20I series after the conclusion of the Test series and the ODI series. The T20I series commences on December 20. The selectors also named the 17-man squad for the South Africa Test series in their most recent meeting.

Commenting on the T20I squad, regular skipper Virat Kohli has been rested for the series. Rohit Sharma, who was earlier named as the captain of the ODI team for the 3-match ODI series, has been handed over the captaincy in the shortest format too. This, in essence, puts wicketkeeper MS Dhoni as the seniormost player in the squad. Shreyas Iyer retains his place in the T20 squad and KL Rahul makes the cut as well.

Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey also hang in to their places in the India squad for the series. The selectors have opted for a plethora of youngsters in the squad. Washington Sundar, who recently cleared the yo-yo test, gets his maiden call up to the side. Also, hard-hitting Baroda batsman Deepak Hooda gets a look in as well. The pace bowling department sees all the new faces barring Jasprit Bumrah.

Mohammad Siraj gets his chance yet again as Kerala speedster Basil Thampi earns his maiden India cap. Jaydev Unadkat, who has played Test cricket for India, gets his second chance in the national colors. The spin twins of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav retain their places in the side as Hardik Pandya would be the preferred all-rounder.

Here is the India Squad for Sri Lanka T20 series:

Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat.