The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday named the India's 18-member squad for the impending T20I and Test series against Sri Lanka at home with Rohit Sharma named as as the new Test captain and Jasprit Bumrah named the vice-captain for both Tests and T20Is.
India will play three T20Is against Sri Lanka, starting February 24. The opener will be played in Lucknow while the other will be staged in Dharamsala on February 26 and 27.
The three-match T20I series will be followed by a two-Test contest, starting March 4 in Mohali. The second Test, which will be a Day-Night game, will be played in Bengaluru on March 12.
Veteran batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have both been dropped from the side along with veteran seamer Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha. The four have been asked to be part of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the second Test against New Zealand in December, the entire overseas tour of South Africa and the home series against West Indies, will return for the contest against Sri Lanka. And, R Ashwin, who has been undergoing a rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, will be assessed before his inclusion in the Test squad.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the second Test against New Zealand in December, the entire overseas tour of South Africa and the home series against West Indies, will return for the contest against Sri Lanka. And, R Ashwin, who has been undergoing a rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, will be assessed before his inclusion in the Test squad.
{{/usCountry}}Former India captain Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been rested from the T20I series against Sri Lanka on advice from medical staff. Shardul Thakur, on the other hand, has been rested from both the formats against Sri Lanka.
Barring the three, the T20I squad remains the same for Team India with Sanju Samson joining in place of Pant and Jadeja has been included as well.
Test Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, R Pant, KS Bharat, R Ashwin (subject to fitness), R Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, J Bumrah (vc), Md. Shami, Md. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar
T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (c)Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Bumrah (vc), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Md. Siraj, Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Y Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan