Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma Named In India’s T20I Squad vs WI, Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Not Included | Cricket News

Young Indian batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma got their maiden national T20I callups as they were named in India’s T20I squad for West Indies Tour. Hardik Pandya will be leading the side in the five-match contest, while Suryakumar Yadav will be his deputy. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not part of the T20I squad for the West Indies series though they are part of the ODI and Test squads. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi also made comeback into India’s T20I team. This is the first squad to be picked under the leadership of new BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who was appointed in the top post on Tuesday.

Varma has been a notable member of the Mumbai Indians side for the past two seasons and with a strike-rate of 142-plus in 47 games, batting at No 5 has obviously attracted the national selection panel’s, led by Ajit Agarkar, attention. Jaiswal, on the other hand, recently earned his maiden Test call-up for the West Indies series.

Apart from Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill are the other openers in the side. Sanju Samson along with Kishan are the wicketkeeping options. Suryakumar and Pandya are the two senior-most players in the side. The selectors have also gone ahead with four spinners –  Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi – and four pacers -Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.

Ahead of the team selection, Kolkata Knight Riders’ power-packed batter Rinku Singh’s name was also doing the rounds but he was not included.

“The Senior Men’s Selection Committee on Wednesday picked India’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against West Indies to be played in the Caribbean Islands and in Florida, USA, ” the BCCI said in a release.

India’s T20I squad:Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.