Virat Kohli has been left out of India’s squad for the T20I series against West Indies while off-spinner R Ashwin has been recalled into the side for the shortest format.
Rohit Sharma, who was rested for the ODI series against West Indies, will return to lead the team in the T20I series. Meanwhile, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav’s availability will be subject to fitness.
KL Rahul has not played international cricket since the end of the Indian Premier League. Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav were withdrawn from the T20I series against South Africa on the eve of the opening match. KL Rahul has also undergone surgery to treat sports hernia.
Ishan Kishan, who briefly held a top-10 spot in the ICC Rankings for T20I batters, has also been named in the squad for the series against West Indies. Ishan had played the first match against England before India decided to try Rishabh Pant as an opening batter alongside Rohit Sharma in the T20Is.
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.
