Suryakumar Yadav to Lead Indian Cricket Team in T20I Series Against Australia
Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, which is scheduled to commence on November 23, 2023, in Visakhapatnam. The team selection features a fresh look as most of the star players who were part of the Indian cricket team during the Cricket World Cup have been given a break. Ruturaj Gaikwad, the opener, has been named as the vice-captain for the series against the newly-crowned ODI champions.
The Indian squad has only three players from the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 squad – Prasidh Krishna, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav himself. However, Shreyas Iyer will join the squad for the last two T20Is in Raipur and Bengaluru, taking over the role of vice-captain from Gaikwad.
The second T20I will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, while Guwahati will host the third T20I. Unfortunately, Hardik Pandya, India’s star all-rounder who led the Men in Blue in several T20I series this year, will be unavailable due to an ankle injury sustained during a Cricket World Cup league stage match against Bangladesh. Sanju Samson has also not been included in the squad.
The performances of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh, among the selected players, will be closely monitored as India enters a phase where they aim to give opportunities to fresh faces, with the 2024 T20 World Cup just a year away.
The bowling department comprises of Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, and Ravi Bishnoi, all of whom have sufficient T20 experience and have represented India. Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Shivam Dubey are the all-rounders in the squad, while Jitesh Sharma serves as the backup wicketkeeper.
The selected players have showcased exceptional performances in the Indian Premier League. With the BCCI selectors showing a tendency to give more chances to younger players in the T20I format, the selected players will be eager to secure their positions for a longer duration, with the upcoming T20 World Cup in focus next year.
India’s Squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar. Shreyas Iyer will join the squad as vice-captain for the last two T20Is in Raipur and Bengaluru.
(With Agency inputs)
