India T20 Squad WI Tour: India Tour of West Indies: Team India has just 94 days and in all 13 T20Is left to prepare for the T20 World Cup. Yet, sample this, Team India selectors have decided to rest three big stars. Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal have all been rested for the 5-match T20 series against West Indies. All three are expected to be crucial members of the team. Follow IND vs WI LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
As usual, Chetan Sharma-led selection committee did not appear to the media to explain why three big players including one who is going through a terrible run of form have been rested together. In all, the team that is supposed to play in the T20 World Cup has not played a single match together as a unit since the last edition.
India T20 Squad WI Tour: 94 DAYS & 13 T20s to go for T20 World Cup, BCCI’s selection MADNESS stuns all, 3 STARS ‘RESTED’ for Windies Tour: Check OUT
India T20 Squad WI Tour: Number of T20I matches played by ‘rested’ players
- Virat Kohli: 4
- Jasprit Bumrah: 3
- Yuzvendra Chahal: 12
India T20 Squad WI Tour: 94 DAYS & 13 T20s to go for T20 World Cup, BCCI’s selection MADNESS stuns all, 3 STARS ‘RESTED’ for Windies Tour: Check OUT
Amongst the three, only Chahal has played the most number of matches. But it should also be noted that he has been on a comeback trail after being dropped from the T20 World Cup 2021 squad.
What’s more shocking is that India haven’t played a single T20 game since the T20 WC last year that will have its sure-shot players in the Playing XI. Kohli, Rahul, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Chahal, Hardik, Rishabh, Harshal and Rohit are yet to play a match together as a unit.
As head coach Rahul Dravid has time and again pointed out that the team needs continuity and “it has been difficult to deal with 7 captains in last 8 months,” preparations haven’t been ideal. But the selectors and the BCCI have chosen to ignore that despite a former India captain leading the board.
Rohit Sharma (C), I Kishan, KL Rahul*, Suryakumar Yadav, D Hooda, S Iyer, D Karthik, R Pant, H Pandya, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, R Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav*, B Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
*Inclusion of KL Rahul & Kuldeep Yadav is subject to fitness.
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 14, 2022
India T20 Squad WI Tour: 94 DAYS & 13 T20s to go for T20 World Cup, BCCI’s selection MADNESS stuns all, 3 STARS ‘RESTED’ for Windies Tour: Check OUT
India T20 Squad WI Tour: Why the squad selection is a madness before T20 World Cup?
- The five-match T20 series would have been the perfect platform for Team India to get the combinations right.
- India will have just 8 matches to prepare for the T20 World Cup after the West Indies Tour if the Asia Cup go on as per schedule.
- The squad that is supposed to go to Australia for the WC hasn’t played a single match together.
- Furthermore, India have picked as many as 6 spinners for the West Indies tour, including Ravichandran Ashwin, who has played just two T20Is since T20 WC.
- It raises two questions: 1. If Ashwin was part of the plan why did he not play the South Africa series.
- 2. Why has he been called up with just 8 matches left to prepare?
- An out-of-form player in Virat Kohli has been rested although he has played for India just 25 matches across all three formats in the last 1 year.
- Since T20 World Cup, Kohli has played exactly 16 matches all formats combined for India.
India’s squad for 5 T20Is: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul*, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
India T20 Squad WI Tour: 94 DAYS & 13 T20s to go for T20 World Cup, BCCI’s selection MADNESS stuns all, 3 STARS ‘RESTED’ for Windies Tour: Check OUT
| India vs West Indies T20 Schedule | |||
| Day | Date | Match | Venue |
| Friday | 22nd July | 1st ODI | Port of Spain |
| Sunday | 24th July | 2nd ODI | Port of Spain |
| Wednesday | 27th July | 3rd ODI | Port of Spain |
| Friday | 29th July | 1st T20 | Tarouba, Trinidad |
| Monday | 1st August | 2nd T20 | Basseterre, St Kitts |
| Tuesday | 2nd August | 3rd T20 | Basseterre, St Kitts |
| Saturday | 6th August | 4th T20 | Florida, US |
| Sunday | 7th August | 5th T20 | Florida, US |
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