Hardik Pandya will captain India in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which gets underway in Mumbai on January 3. Rohit Sharma will make a comeback for the ODIs.
The BCCI announced on Tuesday that Hardik Pandya will captain India’s T20I team against Sri Lanka in the nation’s first home series of 2023.
Since the team’s November visit to New Zealand following the T20 World Cup 2022 quarterfinal defeat, Hardik has served as India’s T20I captain in Rohit Sharma’s absence for two straight series. The three-match T20I series kicks off on January 3 in Mumbai, then moves on to Pune and Rajkot.
The ODI series begins on January 10 in Guwahati, and Rohit, who recently suffered a thumb injury while playing for Bangladesh, will take over as captain. The final two games of the series will be held in Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram, respectively.
Mavi, Mukesh called up for T20Is; Pant omitted
Both Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar and Uttar Pradesh seamer Shivam Mavi got their first-ever T20I call-ups. The uncapped pair won significant contracts in the IPL 2023 mini-auction on Friday. Mukesh Kumar was sold to Delhi Capitals for INR 5.5 crore, while Mavi was acquired by the reigning champion Gujarat Titans for INR 6 crore.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has also made his team debut following a successful run in domestic T20 and one-day competitions.
The 16-man team did not include Rishabh Pant, who served as India’s vice-captain in T20Is during the previous tour to New Zealand. Suryakumar Yadav has been promoted to serve as Hardik’s deputy while Pant is away.
KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, two veteran Indian batsmen, have also chosen not to play in the T20I series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India’s top wicket-taker in T20Is this year, was also left off the roster because Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik, two new players, are anticipated to take over for him.
Dhawan, Pant omitted from ODIs; Shami returns
Shikhar Dhawan, the veteran India opener, was pulled from the ODI team as a result of a recent run of poor performance. In late 2022, Dhawan had commanded India’s backup teams against South Africa and New Zealand, but he had fallen short in his prime position at the top of the order.
In addition to Rohit and Rahul making their ODI comebacks, Mohammed Shami, a seamer, will also play in his first match since suffering a shoulder injury in early December.
FULL SQUAD
India 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 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.
