India squad for Sri Lanka series: Hardik T20I team captain, Rohit back for ODIs; Pant, Dhawan dropped; Mavi earns maiden call-up

IND vs SL T20I, ODI series squads: Hardik Pandya will lead India in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which begins in Mumbai on January 3 while Rohit Sharma will return for the ODIs.

Hardik Pandya will lead India in the T20Is against Sri Lanka. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Hardik Pandya will lead India’s T20I squad in its first home series of 2023 against Sri Lanka, the BCCI announced on Tuesday.

This is the second consecutive series where Hardik will be leading India in T20Is in regular skipper Rohit Sharma’s absence since its tour to New Zealand in November post the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal loss. The three-match T20I series begins in Mumbai on January 3, followed by Pune and Rajkot

Rohit, who is recovering from a thumb injury that he sustained in Bangladesh recently, will return to lead the team in ODIs when the series kickstarts in Guwahati on January 10. Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram will host the remaining matches in the series.

Mavi, Mukesh called up for T20Is; Pant omitted

Uttar Pradesh seamer Shivam Mavi and Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar received their maiden T20I call-ups. Last Friday, the uncapped duo bagged huge contracts in the IPL 2023 mini-auction. While Mavi was signed up by defending champion Gujarat Titans for INR 6 crore, Mukesh Kumar was sold to Delhi Capitals for INR 5.5 crore.

Ruturaj Gaikwad has also marked his return to the side after a prolific run in the domestic T20 and one-day tournaments.

Rishabh Pant, who was India’s vice-captain in T20Is during the recent tour to New Zealand, was omitted from the 16-member squad. In Pant’s absence, Suryakumar Yadav has been elevated as Hardik’s deputy.

Senior India batters KL Rahul and Virat Kohli have also opted out of the T20I series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is this year, was also dropped from the squad as youngsters Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are expected to shoulder the responsibility.

Thoughts on the ODI and T20I squads for #INDvsSL ?

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Dhawan, Pant omitted from ODIs; Shami returns

In an important development, senior India opener Shikhar Dhawan was dropped from the ODI squad after a lean streak of runs in recent series. Dhawan had led India’s second-string squads against South Africa and New Zealand in late 2022 but failed to deliver in his primary role at the top of the order.

While Rahul and Kohli will return alongside Rohit in the ODIs, seamer Mohammed Shami will also make his comeback after a shoulder injury that he suffered in early December.

FULL SQUAD

India squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.

India squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.

India vs Sri Lanka T20I series schedule:

• 1st T20I (Jan 3, Mumbai)
• 2nd T20I (Jan 5, Pune)
• 3rd T20I (Jan 7, Rajkot)

India vs Sri Lanka ODI series schedule:

• 1st ODI (Jan 10, Guwahati)
• 2nd ODI (Jan 12, Kolkata)
• 3rd ODI (Jan 15; Thiruvananthapurm)