From left, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant (Agency photos)
NEW DELHI:
BCCI
announced the much-awaited India squad for the
T20 World Cup
on Tuesday in Ahmedabad after a meeting between secretary Jay Shah and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Led by Rohit Sharma, India's 15-member squad includes
Rishabh Pant
as the first-choice wicket-keeper batsman, besides Sanju Samson, while allrounder
Hardik Pandya
has been named the vice-captain.
India will open their campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York, followed by the big-ticket game against Pakistan at the same venue on June 9.
Besdies Rohit's deputy Hardik, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube are the designated allrounders in the squad, which has three more spinners besides Jadeja, namely Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and legspinner
Yuzvendra Chahal
, who marks a return to India colours.
Chahal last played for India against the West Indies in a T20I in August 2023. Samson and Dube's last appearance for India was during the T20I series against Afghanistan in January this year.
In what comes as a surprise to many, Rinku Singh has only been included as a reserve, alongside opening batsman Shubman Gill, left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed and fast bowler Avesh Khan.
The three specialists fast bowlers in the squad are Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
The T20 World Cup will be played across multiple venues, with the group stage divided into four groups. India are in Group A alongside co-hosts USA and Canada, besides Ireland and Pakistan.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 8s stage, where they will be joined by the top teams from the other groups.
The tournament will commence with the USA taking on Canada in the opening encounter. The group-stage fixtures are spread across various locations, including Grand Prairie, Texas, Providence, Guyana, Bridgetown, Barbados, Long Island, New York and others.
The Super 8s stage will commence on June 19th. The semi-finals are scheduled for June 27th, with the final set to take place on June 29th in Bridgetown, Barbados.
INDIA SQUAD: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan
English (US) ·