Rohit Sharma was on Tuesday not named in India’s T20I squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka, starting on January 3. Hardik Pandya has been named the skipper of the side. Rohit will return to lead Team India in the ODI series against the same opponents, starting on January 10, said a BCCI statement. While Rohit is still recovering from a thumb injury, the BCCI press release did not state anything on whether Pandya’s appointment was a permanent change or just for one series.
On Tuesday, Rohit shared an image of his training on Instagram.
“2023 is surely going to be yours. All the best for upcoming year. Your time is coming,” wrote one user. “Kisko kisko lagta hai 2023 me Hitman show hoga?” wrote another user.
Even Suryakumar Yadav reacted to the photos with an emoji.
The most notable absentee from both the squads for the Sri Lanka series was Rishabh Pant, who was part of India’s recent Test series win against Bangladesh. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been included in both the ODI and T20I squads. Sanju Samson is part of the T20I squad. Rahul, who is not part of the T20I squad, has been named as a wicketkeeper in the ODIs.
According to news agency PTI, Pant has been asked to report at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for a knee strengthening rehabilitation programme for two weeks. Hence, he will miss the entire Sri Lanka series. But BCCI’s statement doesn’t mention whether he has been rested or dropped.
Dhawan not part of ODI s
Another big omission is Shikhar Dhawan from the ODI team. Ironically, even one series before the Bangladesh tour, he was leading the side in New Zealand but his dismal drop in scoring rate and also not being able to string a series of consistent scores have gone against him.
Rohit being a white-ball giant and Shubman Gill in prime ODI form with Ishan Kishan hitting fastest double hundred less than a month back, India have multiple options in the opener’s role. Hence, Dhawan seemed to have been omitted.
