The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday announced the squads for the white-ball series against New Zealand along with the first two Tests against Australia. Both series will be hosted by India.
The New Zealand series will start with the first ODI on 18 January. On the other hand, the Aussies will tour India in February for a four-match Test series.
The white-ball squads have seen a number of modifications as the board is looking to experiment with the combinations.
Also, limited-over specialists Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan received their maiden call-up to don the whites, while young batter Prithvi Shaw has been called-up for the three-match T20I series against the Kiwis. Notably, Shaw is making a comeback to the international circuit after a long wait of 537 days. He last wore the Indian kit in July 2021 in a T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Alongside Kishan, 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat has earned a place in the red-ball unit in the absence of Rishabh Pant. However, surprisingly, Sanju Samson has again been ignored from all formats.
Batter KL Rahul and all-rounder Axar Patel will be absent during the entire New Zealand series owing to “family commitments,” the BCCI has clarified.
Ravindra Jadeja has been called up for the first two Tests against the Aussies but his availability is still subject to fitness.
Senior batter Virat Kohli and all-formats designated captain Rohit Sharma have been rested in the T20Is against the Black Caps. They will join the unit in the 50-over format. Hardik Pandya continues to be the interim skipper in the shortest format in the absence of Rohit. Speedster Jasprit Bumrah remains sidelined due to injury issues.
After the squads were announced on BCCI’s official Twitter, a lot of reactions started coming from Indian fans. While some fumed at the exclusion of Samson, there were users who raised questions regarding the future of Kohli and Rohit in the 20-over format. Moreover, the return of Prithvi Shaw unquestionably delighted his supporters.
A fan was left surprised after not finding the name of Sanju Samson in any of the squads. He wondered, Why are they doing it again and again with Sanju Samson? He has done nothing wrong. They should tell the reason.
The constant exclusion of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the T20Is made a fan question the selection.
A person was left baffled as he queried Suryakumar and Kishan’s inclusion in the test squad, especially over proven Ranji’s performances.
Here are some other reactions:
India will square off against New Zealand in the opening ODI of the three-match series on 18 January at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
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