The winds of change seem to be blowing through the corridors of Indian cricket following the appointment of Ajit Agarkar as chairman of the selection committee.
The former India all-rounder made his intentions clear a day after being named for the coveted post by deciding not to include Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the five-match T20I series in the West Indies. Both batters haven’t been considered in the T20 set-up since India’s loss to England in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya will continue as captain while Suryakumar Yadav will be his deputy.
Yashasvi Jaiswal in the UK in May. File photo
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma’s stunning performances in the IPL have been rewarded with the two left-handers getting the nod in the 15-member squad along with Sanju Samson.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh, however, hasn’t found a place since the selectors think that he needs more maturity, sources told The Telegraph. Rinku had excelled as a finisher in the IPL.
It is not clear whether Rohit and Kohli had been spoken to by Agarkar before he joined his four colleagues — Shiv Sunder Das, Salil Ankola, Subroto Banerjee andSridharan Sharath — and Pandya on a conference call from London.
Agarkar and Co. have sent a strong message in formulating their roadmap for the T20 World Cup next year in the West Indies and US. The stress has been on youth with even the likes of Ravindra Jadeja not being picked.
Tilak Varma during his stint with Mumbai Indians this year. File photo
It is believed that Agarkar was persuaded to take up the responsibility by a former India captain keeping in mind the transition phase that Team India have to go through in the next few years. With Kohli, Rohit and Jadeja in their mid-thirties, a proper succession plan has to be put in place.
Wednesday’s squad provides a sneak peek into the long-term planning that the selectors will be focusing on to make the young pool ready for international cricket.
The batting unit is fairly young with rookies Jaiswal and Varma. It is clear that the selectors want the team to embrace the slam-bang approach from the outset. The selection of Sanju Samson also proves that the wicketkeeper-batter will be given a long rope.
The bowling has no big names in Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj’s absence. Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar form the pace unit besides Pandya.
Leggie Ravi Bishnoi makes a comeback along with Avesh. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are the other wrist spinners in the XV.
