E-Paper
Sign in
Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal break into India squad for WI T20Is in Agarkar's first assignment as chairman of selectors
BCCI's Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee on Wednesday announced India's squad for the five-match T20I series West Indies starting August 3.
Youngsters Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal have broken into India's 15-member squad for the five-match T20I series against West Indies starting August 3. Ajit Agarkar, BCCI's newly-appointed chairman of selectors hasn't rung in too many chances in the Hardik Pandya-led T20I set-up barring giving the two IPL 2023 sensations their maiden India call-ups. Jaiswal, after getting selected in the Test and ODI squads earlier, completed a trifecta by making it in the 20-overs set-up, while Varma has been rewarded for stellar back-to-back seasons with the Mumbai Indians. There is still no place for either Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma – on expected lines – as India attempt to make a transitional shift starting with the T20Is given the World Cup in mind next year.
The squad, brimming with young talent, features Suryakumar Yadav as Hardik's deputy and includes several names who missed the New Zealand series earlier this year. Avesh Khan returns from injury, Sanju Samson is back and as is leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Among those to have missed the cut are Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar and Prithvi Shaw. Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar has retained his place although whether he gets a game in any of the five matches held across Trinidad, Guyana and Lauderhill, Florida remains to be seen.
However, on to the men of the hour – Varma – and Jaiswal in particular, whose stocks continue to rise. Mumbai's Jaiswal, 22, had a ravaging IPL 2023 season for Rajasthan Royals, scoring 625 runs from 14 matches – including the record for smacking the quickest fifty in the history of IPL off just 13 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders. This was to go with a century earlier – 124 against Mumbai Indians – and four more half-centuries. His rise across all formats made him a definite pick for the future, which Agarkar and his colleagues rightfully noticed and invested in.
Also Read: Can Ajit Agarkar crack the selection code?
Varma, meanwhile continued this season where he left off last year for MI. Although the 20-year-old could not match his tally from IPL 2022, Varma's impact of 343 runs in 11 matches was much more. Bought for ₹1.7 crore, Varma played several crucial knocks including an unbeaten 84 off 46 balls in MI's IPL 2023 opener and a 17-ball 37 against Sunrisers Hyderabad which came at a strike-rate of 217. So impressive was Varma that MI captain Rohit Sharma and former coach Ravi Shastri backed the youngster to play for India soon.
Barring the notable omission of Rinku Singh, who was a favourite to make the team, the rest of the squad picks itself with Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh expected to shoulder the fast-bowling responsibilities along with Mukesh and Avesh. The spin-duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal could also reunite, bolstered by another wrist-spinner in Bishnoi. Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill are likely to be the openers, followed by Jaiswal and Tilak in the middle order. Axar Patel could play the second all-rounder – filling filling in for the absent Ravindra Jadeja – after captain Hardik and the presence of Surya and Sanju Samson makes for a rather star-studded line-up.
India's T20I squad: Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (Vice-captain), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya (Captain), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
