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India team (Source: Twitter)
On November 30, the Indian Cricket Board announced the squad for India's important South Africa tour, consisting of three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed surprise over the selection of a 17-player squad for the brief 3-match T20I series against South Africa. The tour kicks off with the first T20I scheduled for December 10 in Durban, prompting discussions about the selection approach in cricketing circles.
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Players like Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav as well as Mohammed Siraj, and Ravindra Jadeja have secured positions in the T20I squad as announced by the ICB. Noteworthy is the absence of Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, and Shivam Dube from the current squad, currently engaged in the 5-match T20I series against Australia. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the T20I side, with Hardik Pandya sidelined due to an ankle injury, influencing the team's composition for the upcoming series.
"Suryakumar Yadav is the captain here, which is fair. Ravindra Jadeja is the vice-captain of this team. It is an interesting development. A 17-member team has been announced. 17 people for three games? Then Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. All of them cannot play. So, it will be interesting for whoever tries to make the XI from this. Ultimately, there will be at least four people who won't get to play even a single match. So you have sent them for sure, but you won't gain anything from that," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
It will be interesting to see who bats where: Chopra
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have chosen to take a break from the limited-overs series, following the pattern of senior players resting from the shortest format. With a 17-player squad, opportunities arise for contenders such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaswal, and Ruturaj Gaikwad to compete for the opening position. Chopra stressed the upcoming challenge of organizing the batting lineup, underscoring the management's dilemma in finalizing the order.
"It is almost the same team that is playing vs Australia. Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja have come in. It will be interesting to see who bats where because Yashasvi, Shubman and Ruturaj - all cannot open," Chopra concluded.