Team India announce T20I squad against Bangladesh for three matches. Mayank Yadav, Nitish Reddy get India call while Ruturaj Gaikwad dropped from the squad.
After a successful test series against Bangladesh, Team India are all set to face the visitors in the T20Is. This time, the India selectors have turned their heads towards the young boys, giving them a much-deserved opportunity to display their potential on the international platform. In the T20 series commencing from October 6, T20 sensations like Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, and Nitish Kumar Reddy are elected in the 15-player squad and might make their debut for India.
On the other hand, players like Shubhman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj have been rested looking at the long Test tours ahead. This resting phase for the senior players has opened a big window for these young talents to showcase their potential and leave their mark on the international circuit.
The three T20Is will be played in Gwalior, Delhi, and Hyderabad, respectively. The shortest format requires a strong batting line-up in addition to the bowling line-up, which can take wickets at regular intervals as these grounds have been high scoring, as seen in the IPL. And the India squad presents exactly that; power-packed batters, backed by some serious pace and quality spin.
Here’s Team India 15-player squad:
Batters: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma
Wicket-keepers: Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarathy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar
New faces: Pacers and all-roundersÂ
The new faces of Team India tick all boxes, including the all-rounders led by the most experienced, Hardik Pandya. Nitish Reddy is the latest addition to the list of India all-rounders, and he did a fabulous job in the IPL 2024, both with bat and ball. Reddy has scored 395 runs with an average of 30.38 and a strike rate of 128.24 in his T20 career. As a bowler, he has taken 3 wickets in 121 balls.
The other two debut entrants into the India squad are the two pacers: Mayank Yadav, the genuine pacer, and Harshit Rana, the variation specialist. They’ve also found the limelight through the IPL and have been good in domestic cricket. If we take a glance at their T20 career, Yadav, who is known for his raw pace, has taken 19 wickets in 14 matches with an economy of 6.60 and an average of 14.31. Whereas his partner, Rana, has taken 28 wickets in 25 matches at an economy of 8.94 and an average of 23.64.
Read More: SL vs IND, T20I Series 2024: Suryakumar Yadav not risk averse as skipper
Notable snubs from T20I squad
On one hand, these youngsters and other excellent players have been given the opportunity, but there are still some question marks on the selections. One of the brightest young openers, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was a member of the team in previous T20I tours, has been neglected, along with Ishan Kishan, who has been in the limelight after his exclusion from the central contract. Kishan hit a brilliant century earlier in the Duleep Trophy and has proved his potential many times, and he has been sidelined once again with Jitesh Sharma getting another opportunity, who has not shown big performances in his previous attempts.
And, if we take a look at the pacers, young speedsters have gotten opportunities above the experienced pacers like Khaleel Ahmed. This indicates that the selectors intend to prioritise the upcoming fast bowlers at the moment rather than trying the experienced ones and strengthening the bench.
All in all, despite being a young side, this squad can beat any side in the world with the amount of talent they possess, if shaped in the right manner.
Read More: IND vs SL: Ruturaj Gaikwad dropped from both T20I & ODI squads; What does the future hold for him?
