Following the culmination of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which saw Australia emerge as the title-winners for the record sixth time, attention now shifts to the upcoming five-match T20I series between India and Australia as The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India's squad for the upcoming series. The names include Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
The forthcoming T20I series against Australia will commence on November 23 in Vizag and conclude with the final on December 3 in Hyderabad. As was precedent, senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested throughout the series after a hectic cricket season.
Hardik Pandya was initially the preferred choice to lead India, but with his absence owing to left-ankle ligament tear that he sustained during the ODI World Cup 2023, Suryakumar Yadav is to assume the captaincy. Yadav previously served as the T20 vice-captain during the series against West Indies this year.
Shreayas Iyer To Join Squad As Vice-Captain For Final Two T20Is
Having previously led Mumbai and India Under-23 teams, Suryakumar Yadav holds significant leadership experience. Meanwhile, the other big news coming in is that other than Shreyas Iyer, another player who was part of the ODI World Cup sqaud in which India reached the final before losing the summit clash, will join the squad for the last two T20Is and will be the vice-captain.
However, with most of the senior players resting, the T20I series will see younger talents get an opportunity with an aye on the T20 World Cup. After the conclusion of the Australia T20I Series, India are slated to go on a tour to South Africa. The tour will kick off with the T20I series on December 10, followed by a set of three ODIs starting on December 17. The tour includes two Test matches as well, set to begin on Boxing Day (December 26) and January 3.