In Rohit’s absence, fit KL Rahul will be Virat Kohli’s substitute on the white ball teams and he is also back on the test team after a considerable period of time. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant failed to make the cut for the limited squads even though he kept his spot in the Test squad.
“The BCCI medical team will continue to monitor the progress of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma,” BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said in a press release announcing the squads.
The Australian tour includes three T20 Internationals, as many ODIs and four Tests. It is scheduled to start on November 27.
While a section of BCCI believes Rohit may not be able to make it in time for the Australian series, the batter leaves no stone unturned when he hit the nets minutes after the team was announced.
There is a strong possibility that Rohit will play for the Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad on November 3, which is the last of the league matches before the start of the play-offs.
“If Rohit can play during the last week of IPL, that will be a good enough fitness test and then the selectors can think about bringing him back to the team, “a source close to the cricketer told PTI on the conditions of anonymity.
The story of Monday’s selection was undoubtedly Rahul, who is now also India’s first-choice goalkeeper in both T20 Internationals and ODIs, as the selectors finally ran out of patience with Pant.
“Rahul is being considered (regarded) as India’s first choice goalkeeper until the 2021 T20 World Cup and beyond. He has also impressed everyone with his leadership skills and that is why this elevation as vice-captain,” he said the fountain.
Sanju Samson will be the second wicketkeeper in the T20I team, which also features the mysterious Kolkata Knight Riders spinner, Varun Chakravarthy.
Among other notable inclusions, pacemaker Mohammed Siraj has been rewarded with a test call for his consistent red ball performances. The absence of the injured duo of Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also paved the way for their selection.
“Siraj and (Navdeep) Saini were automatic options on the test team once (the injured) Bhuvi (thigh muscle) and Ishant (left rib cage) were ruled out,” the source said.
It is understood that Pant’s poor physical condition and tendency to gain weight have not gone well with the selection committee led by Sunil Joshi, who wanted a wake-up call served.
“In any case, all three teams will be there. Pant, if necessary, can be added to the team,” added the source.
It’s certainly a great day for Varun, a 29-year-old architect from Chennai, who has played 21 representative matches at the senior level, including 11 T20 matches, all in the IPL.
His five-wicket drive against Delhi Capitals is one of the highlights of this IPL and he has played brilliantly in death mixing his clever variations.
Since Kuldeep Yadav is not favored by his own franchise for the most part, it is Varun who has stolen the spotlight.
The tour will also prove to be a good exposure for T Natarajan, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kartik Tyagi and Ishan Porel.
“Ishan will primarily be a red ball net thrower, while Natarajan provides the left arm variation training for the cue ball. Kartik Tyagi throws good yorkers and Kamlesh has pace. injury, one of the four can be easily redacted, “said the source.
Squads
Team T20I: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice captain and goalkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (goalkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy
ODI Squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (Vice-Captain and Goalkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohra . Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur
Test team: Virat Kohli (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (goalkeeper), Rishabh Pant (carrier), Jasprit Bumrah , Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj
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