3 Surprising inclusions in India's T20I squad for New Zealand series

The Indian team is all set to play the three-match T20I series with New Zealand starting from 17^th November after having a dismal journey in the T20 World Cup 2021. It was already known for all that Virat Kohli will quit captaincy after the T20 WC 2021 and hinted at Rohit Sharma to take over the charge.

BCCI came upon similar patterns and appointed Rohit Sharma as the skipper for the New Zealand T20I series. It was also in talks that some senior players will be rested due to the back-to-back series in the last six months and hence the announced squad doesn’t see the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami. Some uncapped players also made it to the team and hence, in the same discussion, let’s take a look at-

3 Surprising inclusions in India’s squad for New Zealand T20Is

1. Ventakesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer just turned out to be the find of the season for KKR in IPL 2021. He came up with Shubman Gill at the top and smashed the ball for fun to give his team dreamy starts. He even flaunted his skills with the ball too in the league.

However, it was just his first IPL season and it can’t be taken as enough to consider him for the international series. Players often make it to the national level after performing consistently in IPL for a few seasons.

However, one IPL season has turned the story so well for Iyer. It remains to be seen if he will be able to replicate his IPL class in the New Zealand series. A fast-bowling all-rounder has always been India’s demanding aspect though.

2. Avesh Khan

Avesh Khan also got his maiden call-up for India during the announced squad for the New Zealand series. Talking about Khan, even for him it was just one IPL season that ultimately handed him a golden offer.

Khan picked 24 wickets in IPL 2021 whereas the year 2020 and 2019 saw Khan playing just one game in the Indian T20 league. One fine IPL season might not be enough for him to be ready for the international-level games.

Though his records for Madhya Pradesh are good to take note of, it remains to be seen how he performs with men in blue in the international circuit. He has also been a net bowler for India for their Test series against England at home.

3. Mohammed Siraj

Though Mohammed Siraj’s credentials in red-ball cricket have been great for India so far, he is yet to show his caliber in the white-ball game. In nine Test games, he has picked 30 wickets for India.

However, he has played only three T20Is and one ODI for India. He has been doing a fine action for RCB. He played 15 games in IPL 2021 to pick 11 wickets at an economy of 7.8.

However, the international setup is far different, and Siraj is yet to prove his worth there. Taking note that New Zealand is in great form, Siraj will have to pull up his socks to make his case permanent further.