Hardik Pandya to lead T20Is vs Sri Lanka, as Rohit Sharma to serve ODI

Hardik Pandya to lead T20Is vs Sri Lanka, as Rohit Sharma to serve ODI

Web Desk
December 28, 2022

Hardik Pandya to lead T20Is vs Sri Lanka, as Rohit Sharma to serve ODI

All-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead team in T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan not part of either T20 or ODI squads.
Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been added to the squad.

The BCCI said in a statement late Tuesday night that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead the Indian cricket team in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which starts on January 3 in Mumbai.

The T20I squad doesn’t have Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, or KL Rahul. Rohit will lead Team India in the ODI series starting on January 10 against the same opponents. In the T20I series, Suryakumar Yadav will be the team’s vice captain, while Hardik will be Rohit’s right-hand man in the ODIs.

Rohit is still getting better from an injury to his thumb, and the BCCI press release didn’t say if Pandya’s appointment was permanent or just for one series.

Rishabh Pant, who was part of India’s recent Test series win against Bangladesh, was the most notable player who wasn’t on either team. Ishan Kishan, who keeps wickets and also bats, is on both the ODI and T20I teams.

The T20I team includes Sanju Samson. Rahul is not in the T20I team, but he has been chosen as a wicketkeeper for the ODIs.

According to the news agency, Pant has been told to go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for a two-week rehabilitation programme to strengthen his knee. So, he won’t be able to watch any of the Sri Lanka series. But BCCI’s statement doesn’t say if he has been dropped or just given a break.

Shikhar Dhawan is also not on the ODI team, which is a big loss. Ironically, he was leading the team in New Zealand one series before the Bangladesh tour. However, his terrible drop in scoring rate and his inability to make a string of consistent scores have hurt him.

Rohit is a great player with white balls, Shubman Gill is in great form for ODIs, and Ishan Kishan just hit the fastest double hundred in less than a month. This gives India a lot of options for the opening position. So, it seemed like Dhawan was left out.

Hardik’s promotion to T20I captain after being Rohit’s deputy in ODIs could be seen as a sign that the team will be going through a change in the next few months.

Rohit was thought to be replaced by Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to IPL victory in 2022. India lost to England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Two new pacers, Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar, have been added to the T20I team. This gives the team a new look.

Titans paid Rs 6 crore for Mavi, and Delhi Capitals paid Rs 5.50 crore for Bengal’s Mukesh. Two of the best players in the IPL, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi, made it to the T20I team. With Mohammed Shami’s return from a shoulder injury, the ODI team looks like it has more experience.

India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.

India’s squad for Sri Lanka ODIs:Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.

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