New Delhi: Rohit Sharma will lead the 15-member squad, in absence of Virat Kohli for the three-match Twenty20 International series against Sri Lanka, starting on December 20, it was announced on Monday.
While India’s team for South Africa tour followed the predictable path, the T20 side for Sri Lanka series bears an opposite look with a host of youngsters making their way into the team in absence of regulars like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaspirt Bumrah and Virat Kohli.
Washington Sundar, Deepak Hooda and Basil Thampin earned their maiden T20I call-up while left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat made a comeback into the Indian side after 17 months.
On the youngsters selected in the T20s, Prasad said: "The Basil Thampis and the Shreyas Iyers have all done well in domestic cricket and then on India A tour to South Africa. Also taking performances of IPL, they are the best performers in the IPL."
He also said that the selectors felt that Siddharth Kaul was better suited for ODIs while Thampi was more adept with the shortest version.
Kumar and Bumrah were rested as they will travel to South Africa in a week’s time from T20I series but the exclusion of left-arm spinner came in as a major surprise.
There was a strong possibility of Yuvraj Singh making a comeback after he had cleared the Yo-Yo Test, but the selectors chose to ignore him due to lack of match practice.
Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and batsman Shreyas Iyer, who made their debuts in the T20 series against New Zealand, have held onto their positions in the side.
India squad for SL T20Is: Rohit (Capt), Rahul, Shreyas, Manish, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik, W Sundar, Yuzvendra, Kuldeep, Deepak Hooda, Bumrah, M Siraj, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat.