India’s T20 squad for the home series against Afghanistan sees the return of regular skipper Rohit Sharma and stalwart Virat Kohli after a year’s hiatus from T20 Internationals. The duo, who last played in the T20 format during India’s defeat to England in the World Cup semi-finals in Australia in November 2022, has been included in the squad amid ongoing speculation about their future in T20 cricket.
Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, who shared the T20 captaincy in Rohit’s absence, are notably absent from the series against Afghanistan, reportedly due to injuries. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not provide specific details about the reasons for the omissions or inclusions in its statement.
KL Rahul, the wicketkeeper-batter, also missed out on selection, with no official explanation provided by the cricket board. Meanwhile, pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested to ensure their freshness ahead of the upcoming five-test home series against England.
India’s T20 squad for the Afghanistan series includes Rohit Sharma as captain, along with Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Sanju Samson as wicketkeepers. The bowling lineup features Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
The series against Afghanistan is scheduled to begin on January 11 in Mohali, followed by matches in Indore and Bengaluru.
