The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced Rohit Sharma as the captain for the upcoming T20I series at home against New Zealand, with KL Rahul set to be his deputy.
Former captain Virat Kohli is among a string of high-profile players who have been rested for the three-match T20I series, including Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur.
A number of top performers from the Indian Premier League (IPL) have also received their maiden call-ups to the Indian squad, including Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who won the Orange Cap in the 2021 edition.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel, who won the Purple Cap with 32 wickets, Delhi Capitals fast-bowler Avesh Khan and stylish Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Venkatesh Iyer have also been called up to the Indian team.
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Here is India’s 16-man squad for the upcoming T20I series.
India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj.
India will host the Blackcaps for three T20Is and two Test matches, starting November 17. The first T20I will be hosted in Jaipur, with the second and third scheduled to be held in Ranchi (November 19) and Kolkata (November 21).
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The two Tests will be played in Kanpur, from November 25-29, and in Mumbai, from December 3-7.
Rohit, who has won five IPL titles as captain of the Mumbai Indians, has also led India to glory in the Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy.
Kohli’s final assignment as captain in the shortest format ended with a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign as India failed to qualify for the semi-finals, finishing third in the Super 12 Group 2.
On Kohli’s final match as captain, India beat Namibia by eight wickets on Monday to end their campaign on a high. The win was the Men in Blue’s third in a row, after consecutive losses against Pakistan and New Zealand crippled their chances of making the semis.
Meanwhile, the series will also be Rahul Dravid‘s first assignment as India’s head coach, as Ravi Shastri stepped down from the role following the World Cup.
The BCCI also announced the India A squad that will tour South Africa for three four-day matches starting November 23 in Bloemfontein.
India ‘A’ squad: Priyank Panchal (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Baba Aparajith, Upendra Yadav (wicket-keeper), K Gowtham, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Umran Malik, Ishan Porel, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
