ACTION PUNJAB NEWS Desk: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed a 16-player roster for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on Sunday, with star opener Rohit Sharma and batter Virat Kohli returning.
The senior pair returned to India’s T20I setup for the first time since the end of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, which is a significant development for the side ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
“The Men’s Selection Committee announced India’s squad for the upcoming IDFC First Bank T20I series against Afghanistan,” BCCI said.
Rohit will captain the Indian team in T20Is against Afghanistan, with Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson serving as wicketkeepers.
The team features several all-rounders, including Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel. The leg spinners will be Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav, while the pace will be handled by Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Mukesh Kumar.
Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Tilak Varma are the other batters on the team.
Suryakumar Yadav, who led India in the T20Is in South Africa last December, did not make the squad due to an ankle injury sustained while fielding in the third and final match in Johannesburg. He had ankle surgery recently and is expected to return to training in a few months.
The India-Afghanistan T20I series will begin on January 11 in Mohali, with the second game on January 14 in Indore, and the series concluding on January 17 in Bengaluru.
The Afghanistan series is India’s final bilateral T20I series before the start of the T20 World Cup on June 1.
India’s Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar.
