India has unveiled its squad for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, sparking a buzz with the appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain, sidelining Hardik Pandya, who had been serving as the deputy to Rohit Sharma.
Despite leading the T20I side throughout the 2023 season, Hardik was not chosen as Rohit’s successor or even as vice-captain.
Instead, Suryakumar Yadav, with just seven matches as captain under his belt but boasting five wins and 300 runs, including two fifties and a century, has been given the nod.
The squad comprises Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mohammad Siraj. Shubman Gill has been appointed vice-captain, and Riyan Parag retains his spot.
Notably, Abhishek Sharma, despite a stellar performance against Zimbabwe, was not included, and KL Rahul remains absent from the T20I setup, with wicketkeeping duties shared between Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant.
The tour will feature three T20Is in Pallekele from July 27 to July 30, followed by three ODIs in Colombo starting on August 2.
