Ruturaj Gaikwad's omission from India's T20I squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka has sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. The Chennai Super Kings captain has been in impressive form, scoring 133 runs in three innings during India's recent T20 series against Zimbabwe.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad on Thursday, appointing Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of Team India. Shubman Gill has been named as the vice-captain, following his leadership role in the T20I series against Zimbabwe. In a notable change from previous selections, Hardik Pandya, who has captained the team in the past, will not assume the captaincy role for this series.
The squad will see the return of pacers Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj, as well as wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, all of whom were rested during India's tour of Zimbabwe.
The T20I series against Sri Lanka is scheduled to commence on July 27, consisting of three matches, with subsequent ODIs set to begin on August 1. The T20I matches will take place on July 27, 28, and 30, marking the beginning of the bilateral series.
This series is also significant due to the introduction of new head coaches for both teams. Sanath Jayasuriya, the celebrated all-rounder, has been appointed as the interim head coach for the Sri Lankan team. For India, former opener Gautam Gambhir will take over as head coach, succeeding Rahul Dravid, the T20 World Cup-winning coach. This marks Gambhir's first assignment in this role.
The last bilateral white-ball series between India and Sri Lanka took place in July 2021, with India winning the ODI series 2-1 and Sri Lanka securing the T20I series by the same margin. Rahul Dravid coached the Indian team during this series, which featured Shikhar Dhawan as the captain.
The upcoming series will be India's second T20I series following their victory at the T20 World Cup, where they defeated South Africa. Recently, India also clinched a 4-1 victory in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Gaikwad's exclusion has sparked debates and discussions among fans, who believe his recent performances warranted a spot in the squad. Many experts have expressed surprise at the decision, given his impressive form and the fact that he was part of the team that won the T20 World Cup.
Tags: #RuturajGaikwad, #TeamIndia, #T20ISquad, #SriLankaSeries, #SuryakumarYadav
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