The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday (January 7) announced the 16-member strong squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. The series will begin on January 11 and conclude on January 17.
The headliners in the squad were the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the T20I. installation after 14 months of duration. The duo last featured for the team in the 2022 T20 World Cup and have not played in the format since, focusing on ODIs and T20Is.
Apart from them, Sanju Samson also returned to the team while Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Ruturaj Gaikwad were not available for selection due to injuries. There were some notable names missing from the team and one of them is Shreyas Iyer.
Shreyas Iyer’s absence caught attention because the batsman has done well in the shortest format of the game. The last time he appeared for the team in the format was during the T20I series against Australia after the ICC World Cup 2023.
Shreyas Iyer played a great role in the series against Australia and helped them win the match. With many talks about the batsman’s absence from Afghanistan’s T20I squad, the reason for his absence in the three games has finally been revealed.
As per ESPNCricinfo reports, Shreyas Iyer is known to have been rested from the three matches against Afghanistan. The batsman is currently enjoying his free time in South Africa. He was part of the Indian team for the ODIs and Tests against South Africa.
Shreyas Iyer had a great performance in the only ODI he played, but he didn’t have the kind of impact he would have liked in Tests. He played some decent shots but better was expected of him. It remains to be seen if he is in the team’s plans for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Apart from the development related to Shreyas Iyer, reports also suggested that KL Rahul was not considered for selection. The wicketkeeper-batsman has also not featured in T20Is for the last 14 months and looks a long way from making the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Another name missing from the Indian team for the T20I series against Afghanistan is Ravindra Jadeja. He was vice-captain of the team in the T20I series against South Africa and bowled superbly well. But he did not appear in the series.
In his place, Axar Patel has been included in the team. The all-rounder has been part of the team for a long time. He, however, was not in South Africa’s T20I squad. Shivam Dube was also dropped after missing the T20I series against South Africa.
IND vs AFG: India team for T20I teams against Afghanistan
Here is India’s squad for T20I teams against Afghanistan
Rohit Sharma (C), S Gill, Y Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, W Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh , Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
