Rohit Sharma To Captain Team India As BCCI Announces India's T20I Squad vs New Zealand

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the Indian team’s upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. As expected, senior batsman, Rohit Sharma will captain the side while his opening partner, KL Rahul, will be his deputy.

After the conclusion of India’s campaign at the T20 World Cup, the BCCI didn’t waste any time in announcing the squad for the home series. The series comprises three T20Is and two Tests, for which the squad will be announced in the coming future.

There were no real surprises in the squad, with Ruturaj Gaikwad getting his well-deserved opportunity. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener, Venkatesh Iyer, who impressed in the UAE leg of the recently concluded IPL 2021 season, also got his maiden call-up.

Shreyas Iyer, who was in the reserves for the T20 World Cup, was added to the main squad. The two keepers will be the explosive duo of Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan. Suryakumar Yadav was the last batsman who will round up the squad.

Notably, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested. The trio have been in bio-bubbles for a long while and they needed a break from the fatigue. They will likely return for the Test series which will be part of the WTC 2021-23 cycle.

In the bowling department, Yuzvendra Chahal makes a comeback to the team. Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel also received their first national call-up. Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin are the two spinners in the team apart from Chahal. Ashwin did excellently in the opportunities he got in the T20 World Cup and he has been rewarded for his performance.

Team India’s T20 squad vs New Zealand

Rohit Sharma c(), KL Rahul (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj.

New Zealand tour of India schedule

1st T20I – 17th November 2021, Wednesday – Jaipur
2nd T20I – 19th November 2021, Friday – Ranchi
3rd T20I – 21st November 2021, Sunday – Kolkata

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