Limited overs skipper Rohit Sharma has been named the all-format skipper of the Indian team. The post was left vacant since Virat Kohli stepped down as Test skipper following a Test series defeat to South Africa. Rohit Sharma, who was the vice-captain of the side, was the prime contender to lead the side but a few reports suggested that BCCI might name KL Rahul as skipper to manage his workload.
The last few months have seen a lot of action in Indian cricket. Virat Kohli, who was India's all-format skipper before the 20-20 World Cup 2021, stepped down as T20I skipper in order to manage his workload. In a shock move, the BCCI then sacked him as ODI captain post which Kohli relinquished Test captaincy as well. The home series against Sri Lanka will be Rohit Sharma's first as Test captain.
Meanwhile, the selection committee has announced the squad for the series against Sri Lanka as well. The islanders will play three T20Is and two Tests on the tour. The T20I series will kick off on 24th February, while the Test matches will get underway on March 4.
Speaking about the squad, Priyank Panchal, Sourabh Kumar, KS Bharat are three uncapped players included in the Test squad. KL Rahul has been left out owing to an injury. After all the speculations, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been dropped from the team. Mohammed Shami and Jaspirt Bumrah have returned to the team after resting from the West Indies series. Ravindra Jadeja is also back after recovering from the injury.
As for the T20I squad, Virat Kohli has been rested for the series. Sanju Samson has been recalled to the team, while Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi have been retained.
India Test squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KS Bharat, Ashwin (fitness), Ravi Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Sourabh Kumar.
India T20I squad: Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan.