Shaw called up for NZ T20s; Ishan, SKY in for first two Australia Tests

The newly-appointed Indian National selection committee have announced the ODI and T20I squads for the home series against New Zealand with Prithvi Shaw making a comeback to the T20 set-up after having played his last game for India in July 2021. The Hardik Pandya-led side have a complete young look to it, as was the case in the series against Sri Lanka, with no place for the likes of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma.

That adds fuel to the fire that the BCCI have decided to move on from the duo for the shortest format of the game, with Hardik Pandya getting a longer run as captain to prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA. The board have decided to give breaks to KL Rahul and Axar Patel as the duo would be unavailable for both the series due to family commitments.

The return of Shaw means a clear change in the thought process with the previous selection commitee, which was also headed by Chetan Sharma, not being a big fan of the Mumbaikar despite the opener racking up runs everywhere. His 379 runs in a Ranji Trophy match against Assam helped him strengthen his bid stronger.

Rahul's absence in the ODI side has opened the door for KS Bharat with a spot in the 50-Over set-up with Ishan Kishan being the first choice wicket-keeper. India have also called up Shahbaz Ahmed as a replacement for Axar to the ODI side whereas Shardul Thakur has also made a comeback.

The quartet of Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, and Mukesh Kumar form India's pace battery in the T20I series with Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Umran Malik taking charge in the ODI format.

Hyderabad, Raipur, and Indore would host the three ODI matches whereas Ranchi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad will be playing host to the T20I series.

SKY, Ishan called up for first two Australia Tests

With Rishabh Pant being out of the squad following the car accident in Uttarakhand, India have decided to take a punt on Ishan Kishan for his X-factor. They have also added Suryakumar Yadav to the Test set-up while keeping Srikar Bharat as a back-up to Ishan. Ishan has 2985 runs at an average of 38.76 in 48 first-class matches. 

Even though Ravindra Jadeja has been named in the squad, his availability is subject to fitness. Jasprit Bumrah will continue to do rehab in the meantime but Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav have retained their spot in the side after impressive performances against Bangladesh.

India’s ODI squad against New Zealand 

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik.

India’s T20I squad against New Zealand 

Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar.

India's Test Squad against Australia (First two matches) 

Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.