Rishabh Pant chosen over Sanju Samson:
The 15-man squad is almost identical to the one India will field for the 2023 ODI World Cup. And similar to that tournament, the BCCI selectors have opted for Rishabh Pant over Sanju Samson as the wicketkeeper-batsman.
Samson, in particular, had impressed with his centuries in India’s last T20I series, but the selectors have opted for the familiar batting of Pant rather than the explosive batting of the Kerala batsman.
Only 3 pacers in India squad:
The selectors have opted for just 3 pacers in the squad in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh. With question marks over Jasprit Bumrah’s injury and Shami’s comeback to international cricket, it will be interesting to see if this attack is enough to make an impact in Dubai.
Naturally, it is to be assumed that India will only play two pacers during the matches while Hardik Pandya could act as the third pacer.
No Mohammed Siraj, Suryakumar Yadav and Karun Nair:
The commission of Mohammed Siraj is sure to make some waves as Arshdeep Singh takes his place. Ajit Agarkar said that with Bumrah’s fitness being in question, they wanted someone who could play a role in the death overs and Arshdeep fit the bill for that.
Meanwhile, there have been no surprise picks in the squad, whether it was the inclusion of Surykumar Yadav as the X-factor batter or rewarding Karun Nair for his consistent performances in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.
India’s CT & England Squad: Batsmen
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul,
India’s CT & England Squad: All-Rounders
Hardik Pandya, Axar, Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav
India’s CT & England Squad: Bowlers
Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
