India has announced its T20I squad for the upcoming tour of West Indies, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma receiving their first call-ups. The two batters, who performed exceptionally well in the IPL 2023, have been included in the 15-member squad led by Hardik Pandya. The series against West Indies will consist of five T20Is, commencing on August 3.
Suryakumar Yadav has been named as Pandya’s deputy in a squad that does not include regular captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli. It is worth noting that Rohit and Kohli have not played T20Is for India since their exit from the 2022 World Cup.
This is the first squad chosen by India’s newly elected selection panel, headed by Ajit Agarkar. The new panel seems to have recognized the need to embrace a more aggressive batting approach with the selection of young explosive batsmen.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s performance in the IPL has been exceptional. In the previous season, he scored 625 runs in 14 games for the Rajasthan Royals, with a strike rate of 163, including one century and five fifties. Overall, he has scored 1,172 runs in 37 IPL matches, with a healthy strike rate of 148.73 and an average of 32 since his debut in 2020.
Tilak Varma, on the other hand, has been a valuable asset for the Mumbai Indians in the middle overs since his debut in 2022. The left-handed batsman has scored 740 runs in two IPL seasons, with an average of around 39 and a strike rate of 144.53. In his debut IPL season, he scored 397 runs at a strike rate of 131. However, he took his performance to the next level in the last season, scoring 343 runs at a strike rate of 164 and an average of almost 43.
The India T20I squad includes Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson as wicket-keeping options, along with batsmen Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav. Hardik Pandya will lead the team, and the bowling attack comprises Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
Post Your Comments