Mumbai’s swashbuckling batsman Shreyas Iyer and Hyderabad pacer Mohammad Siraj were the surprise picks for India’s three-match Twenty20 International series against New Zealand, which will be played between November 1-7.
The 22-year-old Iyer was previously called up as injured Virat Kohli’s substitute during the Border-Gavaskar Test series in March. Iyer has been a heavy scorer in the domestic circuit, leading Mumbai to their 41st Ranji Trophy title by amassing 1,321 runs at a whopping 73.38 in 2015-’16. He had followed that up with impressive displays in the following Ranji season and steady performances for India A too.
Siraj rose to prominence after finishing as the third-highest wicket-taker in the previous Ranji season, picking up 41 wickets at an impressive 18.92. The 23-year-old right-armer followed that up with good displays in Indian Premier League 2017 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Like Iyer, he was also selected for India A and recently toured South Africa. Siraj also featured in the series against New Zealand A.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who was recalled during the New Zealand ODI series, has been retained for the T20I series as well. Meanwhile, opener Murali Vijay, who has been out nursing a long-term injury, makes his way back for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka. Pacer Ishant Sharma, who was overlooked for the away tour of Sri Lanka gets a nod. India also have first-choice pacers Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the series, which starts next month.
India squad for New Zealand T20s
Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvnehwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Mohammed Siraj
India squad for Sri Lanka Tests
Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Umesh Yadav.