Suryakumar appointed India captain for Sri Lanka T20Is; Rohit, Kohli included in ODIs

Suryakumar Yadav pipped Hardik Pandya to the post of India T20I captain with the BCCI unveiling India’s squads for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

SKY takes over the reins of the Indian team in the shortest format following Mumbai Indians teammate Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format. The star batter had previously captained the Men in Blue against Australia and South Africa in home and away respectively in late 2023.

Both Rohit as well as Virat Kohli will additionally be featuring in the ODI leg of the tour which gets underway on 2 August with the former continuing to lead the side. Additionally, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the tour, with Mohammed Siraj leading the attack in both formats.

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All-rounder Pandya was widely expected to succeed Rohit in the role given he had been his deputy in the T20 World Cup. Pandya had also captained the Men in Blue in a majority of their T20I assignments after the 2022 T20 World Cup when Rohit and Kohli had taken a sabbatical from the format.

Surya had then led India in the five-match series against Australia after the ODI World Cup as well as in the three-match series in the tour of South Africa with Pandya out of action due to an ankle injury.

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Pandya has been included in the T20I squad while being rested for the ODIs, but hasn’t been given any leadership role whatsoever. Top-order batter Shubman Gill, who led India to a 4-1 series victory over Zimbabwe recently, has been named Surya’s deputy. Gill is also the vice-captain in the 50-over format.

Read | Why BCCI, India selectors are unsure about Hardik Pandya as T20I captain

The ‘Hitman’ called it quits in Twenty20 Internationals after leading India to triumph in the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean, delivering the nation its first ICC title in more than a decade. Batting superstar Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja had also retired from the format after the mega event.

Both Rohit and Kohli had returned to the T20I format in January this year in the home series against Afghanistan and would sign off on a high six months later.

Parag earns ODI call-up; Bishnoi picked ahead of Chahal

The T20I squad includes several players who were part of the second-string Indian team that had toured Zimbabwe for a five-match series earlier this month, including ‘Player of the Series’ Washington Sundar — who is expected to fill the void left by senior spin-bowling all-rounder Jadeja after his T20I retirement.

Rajasthan Royals batter Riyan Parag didn’t get his international career off to an ideal start in Zimbabwe, but has been included in the T20I as well as ODI squad, earning his maiden India call-up in the 50-over format as a result. Also getting a maiden ODI call-up is Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana, who had been included in the Zimbabwe tour but did not get a game.

A surprise exclusion from the T20I squad is explosive top-order batter Abhishek Sharma, who has been overlooked despite smashing a 46-ball century in the second T20I against Zimbabwe that helped the Men in Blue level the series after a shock loss in the tour opener. Also missing is Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had top-scored in the five-T20I series against Australia late last year under Surya’s leadership.

Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, meanwhile, has been retained after a stellar run in the Zimbabwe T20Is, including his career-best haul of 4/13. Yuzvendra Chahal gets dropped from the side after he was picked for the T20 World Cup, though he ended up warming the bench and ferrying drinks throughout the campaign.

The upcoming tour will be Gautam Gambhir’s maiden assignment since he appointed the new head coach of the Indian team. Rahul Dravid’s contract had expired after the T20 World Cup at the end of June, and the former India captain decided against re-applying for the position.

Read | What is Gautam Gambhir's strategy and mantra as coach?

While the T20I series gets underway on 27 July, with the second and third matches taking place on 29th and 30th, the ODI series takes place on 2, 4 and 7 August. Pallekele International Stadium will host the 20-over fixtures while Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium will host the one-dayers.

India squads for the tour of Sri Lanka:

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.