Xtra Time Web Desk: Chetan Sharma led selection committee on Wednesday picked the 15 member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was included in the 15-member squad ahead of Yuzuvendra Chahal. Shikhar Dhawan did not find a place even in the reserves as well. Both Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar were named in the reserves along with Shreyas Iyer.
Three rising stars Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy has been included in the 15 member squad. Also making the squad was Suryakumar Yadav, the 30-year-old Mumbai batsman who has been making a name for himself for his power-hitting.
The biggest name to make the cut is 34-year-old Ravichandran Ashwin, who last played white-ball cricket for India in 2017 before being sidelined from one-day cricket following the Champions Trophy. Kishan (23) and Chakaravarthy (30) have been rewarded for their consistent performance in the IPL and also impressed in the few opportunities they got with the Indian team.
The T20 World Cup starts October 17 in the UAE and Oman.
Rahul Chahar has been preferred over Chahal who was a certainty in India’s limited over squads until now.
Dhawan has been overlooked with K L Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Kishan picked as the three openers.
India will open their T20 World Cup campaign on October 24 by taking on arch-rivals Pakistan.
Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice captain), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.
Standby players: Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar.