Team India will face the West Indies in a five-match T20I series next month. The squad for the same was announced by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee on Wednesday (July 5). While the senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and, Ravindra Jadeja, were dropped from the squad, on the other hand, many young players were included in the squad.
With Hardik Pandya as the unofficial captain in the T20 format, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma have received their maiden call-up for the T20I series against West Indies. It won’t be wrong to say that the transition for the Indian T20I side had already begun.
While the 15-member squad announced by the BCCI was majorly accepted, however, the absence of a few players like Rinku Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Jitesh Sharma has raised a few eyebrows.
Why Was Rinku Singh Not Picked For India’s T20I Squad Against WI?
It was a tough choice between Tilak Varma and Rinku. Both the players performed similar roles for their respective franchises – Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders and gave some mind-blowing performances in the last season. With Hardik Pandya already there to play the role of a finisher and also with Axar Patel on the side, the selectors decided to go with Tilak.
According to a report by PTI, it is understood that there is a high possibility that Rinku might feature in the T20I squad for the series against Ireland. Recently, it was also reported that the BCCI is planning to send a second-string squad to China for the Asian Games 2023 which might give an opportunity to Rinku.
Why Was Ruturaj Gaikwad Not Selected?
Gaikwad’s non-selection in the team came out as a big shock as he has been in and out of the T20I set-up for the last couple of years. He was also the second-highest run-getter for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023.
There could be two possible reasons behind this. Firstly, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, and Shubman Gill already in the squad, there was no place left for the fourth opener in the team. Secondly, Ruturaj, who is a part of Indian Test and ODI squads for the West Indies tour, might be considered for the Ireland tour and also the Asian Games.
Why was Jitesh Sharma ignored?
Vidarbha’s superstar batter Jitesh Sharma was once again ignored for the upcoming T20I series against West Indies. He was a part of the Indian Cricket Team T20I squad for the Sri Lanka and New Zealand home series but he didn’t get a game to play. He has been in some stellar form for his franchise Punjab Kings in the last two IPL seasons.
The reason he was ignored for the West Indies series is very simple, Jitesh received an India call-up as Sanju Samson was injured. Once Samson was fit again, there wasn’t any place left for Jitesh in the team.
