India will start the 2023 calendar year with a home series against Sri Lanka in January. The two Asian giants will face off against each other in a white-ball series. The limited-overs contest will have three T20Is first, and it will start on January 3 in Mumbai. After the shortest format battle, the action will shift to ODI matches, which will take place on January 10, 12, and 15 in Guwahati, Kolkata, and Thiruvananthapuram, respectively.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday (December 27) announced the squad for the white-ball series, in which they made some surprise exclusions as well as inclusions. On one hand, the pacer duo of Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar found a place in the Indian team for the T20I matches, whereas on the other, the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shardul Thakur, and Rajat Patidar were not considered for either of the series.
Prithvi Shaw: The young opening batter has represented India in all three formats of the game but is currently out of favor. The 23-year-old Mumbai cricketer last played for the Men in Blue on July 25, 2021, when a second-string Indian team travelled to to Sri Lanka. He has consistently delivered for his domestic side and IPL team, but is snubbed time and again.
Rajat Patidar: Rajat Patidar earned his maiden India call-up for the ODI series against South Africa in October 2022 but didn’t get a chance to make his debut. He was part of the squad for the ODI series against Bangladesh as well, but was overlooked there too, and now he has been dropped from the team without getting a game.
Shardul Thakur: Shardul Thakur was part of India’s squad for the ODI series against Bangladesh earlier this month, and despite picking up three wickets in the final match of the assignment, he has been dropped.
Avesh Khan: Right-arm medium pacer Avesh Khan last played an ODI match for India against South Africa in October, and his last T20I was in the Asia Cup. Despite having a decent outing with the ball at the highest level, he was dropped from the team, and now he has again been overlooked for the home series.
Shahbaz Ahmed: Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed made his ODI debut for India against South Africa in October and featured in the first ODI against Bangladesh as well, but surprisingly now he has been dropped and is not selected in either of the white-ball squads.
