New Delhi: Left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra and wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has been selected in India’s 15-member squad to take on Australia in the three-match T20I series beginning on October 7.
“Ashish Nehra played the last full T20 series against England earlier this year. He was in contention to play Champions Trophy but an injury during IPL put paid to his hopes. India’s last two T20s were one off games against West Indies and Sri Lanka, so Ashish wasn’t picked,” said a BCCI official.
He also added, “Ashish if fit was due for a comeback as and when there would have been a three match T20 series. There isn’t anyone craftier than Ashish and when it comes to his selection, it’s about fitness and not form. Check records, Ashish has never been dropped because of poor form.”
The 38-year-old Nehra has played 25 T20I’s, where he has taken 34 wickets.
Dinesh Karthik made the cut ahead of the young Rishabh Pant as the backup wicketkeeper because of his current form. Pant is expected to take the field for India A against New Zealand A in the five-match List A series.
Rohit Sharma, who was Kohli’s deputy in the ODI series would continue to perform the same role in the T20I series as well.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who had missed out on the recently concluded ODI series as he had to attend to his unwell wife too has been named in the team. On the flip side, Ajinkya Rahane, who did a good job in Dhawan’s absence, scoring four back-to-back half centuries has been left out.
The selectors continued to put their faith on the spin trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel for the shorter versions of the game as ace off-spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja has once again been ignored.
Even pacers Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami as well, who did not find a place in India’s 15-member squad.
Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Axar Patel
1 comment
Ashish nehra is good boller