Pace sensation Mayank Yadav earned his maiden call-up as the Ajit Agarkar-led senior selection committee announced India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh that starts on October 6.
A fit-again Suryakumar Yadav, who missed the Duleep Trophy due to a finger injury, will lead the team, which also sees the return of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Mayank Yadav has become a household name after breaching the 150 km/h mark regularly in IPL 2024 for the Lucknow Super Giants. The tearaway right-arm pacer’s tournament, however, ended prematurely after he suffered an injury. Since then, his rehab went ahead at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru under the watchful eyes of the BCCI medical team.
As expected, Test regulars Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant were given a break. Sanju Samson was picked as the first-choice keeper-batter. Vidarbha’s Jitesh Sharma was named as backup keeper.
Dynamic Sunirsers Hyderabad cricketers Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy also return to the side after missing the Sri Lanka T20Is. Abhishek, who smashed a century in his maiden Zimbabwe, was not picked for the three T20Is in Sri Lanka.
Interestingly, he is the only designated opener in the 15-member squad, which means Sanju Samson is likely to open the batting with him.
In another notable development, spinner Varun Chakaravarthy returned to the T20I side after three years. The Kolkata Knight Riders leg-spinner last featured for India in the T20 World Cup in Dubai in 2021. Earlier this year, he played an important role in helping KKR win the IPL after 10 years.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has picked India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming IDFC FIRST Bank T20I series against Bangladesh. After the completion of the Test series, India will play three T20Is at Gwalior, New Delhi and Hyderabad,” said BCCI in a release.
India’s squad for 3 T20Is against Bangladesh: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav