KL Rahul will lead India in the absence of top stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma next month in five Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa at home.
Several senior players including all-format captain Sharma will only return for the one-off Test in Birmingham beginning July 1 as India and England attempt to complete their unfinished five-match series, which India leads 2-1.
Squad selectors issued a call-up for pace sensation Umran Malik and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh for the 18-member Twenty20 squad against South Africa.
Both Malik and Arshdeep have impressed with their stellar performances during the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Right-hand batsman Cheteshwar Pujara also received a callback for the 17-member Test squad on the back of his superb performance for Sussex in England’s County Championship, while wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik earned a place in the 18-member Twenty20 team.
All-format seamer Jasprit Bumrah has also been rested for the Twenty20 series, which begins June 9 in New Delhi, but earned a spot in the Test squad.
India under Sharma will be playing at full strength in the crucial Test match against England, which had been scheduled for last September at Old Trafford but was postponed following the outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the Indian camp.
Here are some reactions to the squads announced:
#CricketTwitter
— The Field (@thefield_in) May 22, 2022
International cricket for the Indian men's team is around the corner and that means there are debates over squad selections, of course.
Here's a look at the T20I and Test squads announced today. https://t.co/JWwKQZrwSk pic.twitter.com/IZoSI7N4YU
If you believe yourself, everything will fall into place! ✨
— DK (@DineshKarthik) May 22, 2022
Thank you for all the support and belief...the hard work continues... pic.twitter.com/YlnaH9YHW1
Big congratulations to Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh on getting into @BCCI squad for the series versus South Africa👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) May 22, 2022
My Dino ❤️ believe in yourself https://t.co/6ciAL9zSv3
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) May 22, 2022
Just leaving it here. Hope he remains the same! pic.twitter.com/lpqgAXViYU
— Sa. Gomesh | ச. கோமேஷ் (@theumpires_call) May 22, 2022
The sad part is we may not see Shaw in T20Is until the current bunch is completely transitioned out, which may be long after this WT20.
— Manya (@CSKian716) May 22, 2022
That would have allowed Rahul Tripathi to make it https://t.co/oJnJWdkagm
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 22, 2022
Why Indian team management is not giving a breather to guys like Rahul and Pant is beyond me...Could have easily played Sanju and Rahul Tripathi in matches against South Africa and had Rahul and Pant set for England..
— Gagan Chawla (@toecrushrzzz) May 22, 2022
Looking at Pant he badly needs a break! https://t.co/BJgSn0Jo9o
As Dinesh Karthik makes a comeback into India's T20I squad, it's time to take a look at his words from the RR vs RCB game.
— Prasenjit Dey (@CricPrasen) May 22, 2022
He said that he isn't done yet and he has a goal, something he wants to achieve. He has certainly taken a step forward towards that goal today. #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/8HufVH0Wk3
It’s 2022 and @DineshKarthik is still making comebacks to the Indian squad. One of the most fascinating international careers of this century continues to wage on & unlike with some there’s no question of who’s writing his scripts. For, you know he’s doing it himself #IndvSA
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) May 22, 2022
No Sanju Samson in the T20I squad. Has a case over at bare minimum three players in that squad. There literally is no value for players playing high-impact knocks without big scores. No wonder a lot of capable hitters turn into anchors.#INDvSA
— Rohit Sankar (@imRohit_SN) May 22, 2022
Richly deserved return to the Indian team @DineshKarthik, well done 👏🏽
— Abhinav Mukund (@mukundabhinav) May 22, 2022
Good to see #KulCha and @hardikpandya7 back too!
India’s pace battery is now richer with two very talented bowlers, @arshdeepsinghh and Umran 🔥
Tripathi still doesn't get a spot though.
So as I expected, and wanted, Pujara is back in the Test squad. Happy for him.
— Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill) May 22, 2022
It was unfair to club him with Rahane all along. He looked much better than him all along. https://t.co/5k3bAlNVG1
In 2018 #UmranMalik was yet to play professional cricket but he wrote “India soon” in his Instagram bio. He got the confidence after being lauded by national U19 selectors during a net session. About 4 years later, he has made it to India’s squad! This is called self-belief!
— Mohsin Kamal (@64MohsinKamal) May 22, 2022
You want someone who scores at 50 with a SR of 125. Cool. Why name different teams for T20Is and Tests then? Might as well have Pujara in the T20I team too.
— Sarah Waris (@swaris16) May 22, 2022
So so annoyed.
Feel for Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson, both deserve to be part of the T20 setup. Two of them have been showing very good consistency with healthy strike rate in IPL in the last few years - hoping both will be part of the Ireland T20 series.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 22, 2022
(With inputs from AFP)