Team India are set to face West Indies in their next challenge in competitive cricket. The two teams will compete in two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is on the multi-format tour. While the squads for the Tests and the ODIs were announced earlier, the Indian Cricket Board announced the T20 squad on Wednesday, July 5. With Hardik Pandya leading the side, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee made a few surprising omissions sparking reactions from fans.
Among these omissions was Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Nitish Rana, who in the opinion of many deserved a place. He is coming off his best Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign in IPL 2023 where he scored 413 runs in 14 games although KKR could not qualify for the playoffs. Moreover, Rana also had a great campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, finishing among the highest scorers of the tournament. Yet, he did not find a place in the T20 squad for the upcoming West Indies tour despite senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rested.
Nitish Rana’s KKR teammate Rinku Singh was also snubbed from the T20 side
Another headline snub was that of Rinku Singh, IPL 2023’s breakout batting sensation. His absence from the selected 15-member squad left fans in disbelief. The KKR batter famously smashed five consecutive sixes in a league game this season to Gujarat Titans’ bowler Yash Dayal. Since then, he went on to play the role of a key finisher for KKR with 474 runs in 14 matches, at a remarkable strike rate of 149, and an average of 59.
Another significant highlight from the squad is that Mumbai Indians batter and T20 specialist Suryakumar Yadav was entrusted with the role of vice-captain. This is a major step forward for India’s Mr. 360.
Here’s the full squad: Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Bhai Tera kis angel se chance Banta hai Indian team me....hum logo ko bura lag raha hai Rinku Singh k liye,tera to kahi bhi chance nahi hai
— Amod Pandey (@AmodPan32589033) July 5, 2023
Tujhe bhi ict me place chahiye 😹
— Vaibhav™ (@Titan_boyies) July 5, 2023
Let your BAT do the talking, well wishes.
— Omkar Komarpant 🇮🇳 (@OddGuy_27) July 5, 2023
Don't worry bro.. You'll get chance in Asian game.
— Rishikesh Mishra 45💙 (@Rishikeshm_264) July 6, 2023
Bro, Mumbai lobby and CSK lobby people are preferred first 🤷🏻♂️😑
— Dhruv Upadhaya (@DhruvUpadhaya) July 5, 2023
Comeback stronger champ 💪
— Divyansh Kathotia (@imdiv_k) July 5, 2023
Gt ki gaand maari thi.
— the_inzu (@inzamamAhmad92) July 5, 2023
RINKU & RUTURAJ.
Islie landya select nahi kiya
Bro just sign the all Knight Riders teams and make money. In mdrchdo se ummid na rkho
— S H A H I D. (@Irfy_Pathaan56) July 5, 2023