Pujara and Rahane have been omitted from the Test team. (File)India T20, Test Squad, Players List for Sri Lanka Series 2022: The Indian selection committee headed by Chetan Sharma announced the India squads for the T20I and Test series against Sri Lanka on Saturday evening. Rohit Sharma, who was appointed as India’s white-ball captain a couple of months back, has been named as the full-time captain in the red-ball format as well.
The 34-year-old’s appointment comes after Virat Kohli’s decision to step down from the position following India’s Test series loss to South Africa in January. Jasprit Bumrah has been appointed as T20 & Test vice-captain. However, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been dropped from the Test squad.
“We thought long and hard before arriving at decision. We have spoken to them before and told them that they won’t be part of two tests against Sri Lanka. Doors are totally open to them. It’s just for these two tests,” selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma told reporters during a virtual press conference. “They have served the country for long, so they can always come back, why not? It’s like a graph. .. Rahane hit a hundred yesterday. this is a process of managing…Who wouldn’t be happy if they come back,” he added.
As of now, we have told them they won’t be considered for two tests. In between, we shall see how the replacements go. We are nobody to close doors on anyone. This is cricket. Performance matters. Now they will be playing Ranji trophy selectors will be watching. We spoke to them long before itself,” Sharma further added.
On Rohit being appointed the captain, the Chairman of the selection committee said, “He is the No 1 player of our team and plays all the formats. Time and again we will be speaking to him.”
On Saha failing to make the cut, Sharma said, “I can’t tell you on what grounds he has been dropped. That’s for selectors. All I can tell you is that he was told before and asked to play the Ranji trophy, which is the ladder for the Indian team.”
“Why he did not play Ranji, the state association CAB cab tell you that. That is not my jurisdiction. As selectors, we wanted them to play. We are not looking at age. When there are youngsters sitting outside, we thought we shall give chance. For these two test matches. But it’s important to play Ranji. Else, how will we know if you are match-ready?
Sharma also spoke on Hardik Pandya’s selection and said, “When we get to hear that Hardik Pandya is 100 percent fit, we shall definitely consider him immediately.”
When asked by a reporter why he is avoiding playing the Ranji Trophy, Sharma said, “If you have his number speak to him. You are not part of the selection committee, so you can’t decide. Support him. Don’t raise issues. The kid has done so much for the country.”
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
Series Schedule:
T20 series:
India vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I: Feb 24 – Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I: Feb 26 – Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I: Feb 27 – Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
Test series:
India vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test: Mar 4 to Mar 8 – Mohali
India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test: Mar 12 to Mar 16 – Bengaluru
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