5 surprising inclusions and exclusions in Indian T20I squad against NZ

The announcement of the squad for the T20I series between India and New Zealand is another example of how the management and selectors have taken India’s lack of experimentation in the past very seriously. The goal seems set which is to include as many performers as possible in the pool of players that can be taken into consideration in the limited overs format, and particularly, the 2019 World Cup.

While the core of the team remains the same, a little chopping and addition has been done in order to fulfill that purpose. Though some of the omissions had been long time coming, two additions in the team have been slightly surprising, yet appreciated. Their call-ups are a result of good, consistent performances in the domestic arena while the ones left out have different reasons resulting in their exclusions.

Here are 5 surprising inclusions and exclusions in the Indian squad against New Zealand for the upcoming T20I series:

Shreyas Iyer

One batsman that has caught the eye of the selectors in the last few months is 22-year-old Shreyas Iyer. Rightly so, because he has grabbed every opportunity he was given with both hands and grabbed the most out of it. Be it for his Ranji side, or the India A side, he has amassed runs one match after another.

Moreover, his dominance is not restricted to just the sub continent. He boasts of a stellar unbeaten 140 at Pretoria against the South Africa A squad. He also has 65 runs in Potchefstroom in a first-innings total against the hosts, which was also the second highest score in that innings. His inspired form continued in the series against New Zealand where he has a 108, 82, 90 and 37 in the 4 matches he has played. What is surprising is not his inclusion, but the fact that the selectors were quick to reward his consistency.

Mohammed Siraj

Though most were slightly taken aback, or felt missed emotions at the sight of Siraj’s name in the squad, they would all be relieved after they saw his numbers in the last few matches he played. He, too, was under the selectors’ lens after his impressive performance in the IPL and then in the domestic circuit.

He has two four wicket-hauls in the last 10 matches he has played, one which came in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s last match against Gujarat Lions, that also won him a MoM award. The other came in the 1st innings of the four-day game against South Africa A in Pretoria. In totality, he has scalped 16 wickets in the last 8 matches he has played, which include games against South Africa A, Afghanistan A, India Red and New Zealand A. He has been brought in as a back-up for Ashish Nehra, who will be playing his last game in the 1st T20I against NZ.

Kedar Jadhav

Slightly surprising but we can all agree that this move was long-coming, considering Jadhav was not doing justice to his role in either of his limited overs format. It is also agreeable that his smart bowling is what prolonged his otherwise average stay in the team. However, with India’s bench-strength and “pool” overflowing, Kedar Jadhav’s exclusion was inevitable.

His performance in the last 10 innings across both ODIs and T20Is hardly do justice to the all-rounder spot he’s taking up. With India looking to strengthen their middle order where Jadhav held an important place, it is important that they fit in someone who can be indispensable. The exclusion may also be a sign of how the management and selectors plan to go ahead in the ODI format too.

Ajinkya Rahane

India do not want to indulge in “confusing” Rahane again by forcing him to play out of position in the middle order. As KL Rahul faces the same situation since he too is an opening batsman who didn’t fare well in the middle order, the numbers will decide who would assume the role of third opener.

While KL Rahul averages 50.66 in the 9 T20is he has played, Rahane has a meagre 20.83 in the 20 matches he has played. It is also no rocket science that Rahane does struggle to bat freely in the shortest format of the game. This exclusion makes it the second consecutive T20I series where he is dropped.

Rishabh Pant

Many are baffled about the fact that Rishabh Pant is not in India’s scheme of things any more. Though, technically, he is in their scheme of things as he is being exposed to more International matches in the India A squad. But honestly, senior wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik may not be getting the advantage because of his experience but because he has been consistent on the field off-late.

The 20-year-old has been far from good even by his own standards in the last 10 games he has played. He only has 46 runs scored against India Blue in Duleep Trophy and the 67-run-knock he played against New Zealand in the Test format to his name. He did play for the Board’s President XI against New Zealand but only managed 15, 7 runs against them, which makes it a long road for Pant’s selection.