Three cricketers from Rajasthan make it into Indian team for the first time ever

The BCCI, on Sunday, July 21, announced the Team India squads for the upcoming tour to the West Indies which begins from August 3. The tour will see the two teams clashing in 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs, and 2 Test matches. The selectors focussed on bringing in younger talent in the limited-overs’ team putting their map for the 2020 T20 World Cup and 2023 ICC World Cup in action.

The tour will see a new look T20I side in action with most of the previous regular players being dropped and new, quicker fast bowlers and cricketers who have performed well in domestic cricket and the IPL were given their due, which saw for the first time, three cricketers from the state of Rajasthan being picked in the Indian team.

Khaleel Ahmed and the Chahar brothers make history

The Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) is under suspension at the time by the BCCI and with the selection of Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar and Rahul Chahar in the Indian team remains a big victory for the state. Khaleel Ahmed was in contention for the ICC World Cup 2019 as well, but couldn’t make it into the final 15-man squad as selectors opted for an all-rounder.

Deepak Chahar has already made his T20I debut for India in 2018, along with Khaleel Ahmed and this time he will be joined by his cousin, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, who performed exceedingly well for Mumbai Indians in IPL and for India A. “We are elated. We have waited for this day for so long and it’s finally here,” Deepak‘s sister Malti was quoted as saying by Times Now.

“He was a naughty kid who was not into studies. When he was in class four, papa made him bat while Deepak used to practice his bowling. At that time, when he would occasionally roll his arm, my father noticed in Rahul a making of a good spinner. And since then there is no looking back,” she further added.

The tour will see Virat Kohli leading the team in all the three formats, while MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya being unavailable for the whole tour. Jasprit Bumrah remains rested for the limited-overs part of the tour but will play in the two-Test series.