Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma have received their maiden call-ups to the Indian T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against the West Indies. The selection was made by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel, which also sees the return of Sanju Samson to the team. Notably, senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma continue to be excluded from the T20I setup, while Hardik Pandya retains his captaincy with Suryakumar Yadav appointed as his deputy.
The Indian T20I squad consists of the following players: Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (Vice-Captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya (Captain), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
Both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma impressed during the 2023 edition of the IPL. Jaiswal, who plays as an opening batter for the Rajasthan Royals, was the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament, scoring 625 runs at an average of 43.21 and a strike rate of 181.13. He recorded one century and five fifties during the season. Varma, a middle-order batter for the Mumbai Indians, accumulated 343 runs at an average of nearly 43, with a strike rate of 164.11.
Axar Patel, who missed the T20Is against New Zealand due to personal reasons, returns to the squad. He is one of the four spinners in the team, alongside wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi. Avesh Khan also makes a comeback to the side after last playing a T20I for India in August 2022, during the Asia Cup.
The selection panel has excluded Rahul Tripathi, Prithvi Shaw, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, and Shivam Mavi from the T20I squad for the West Indies series. These players were part of the T20I squad against New Zealand earlier this year.
The omission of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh, despite their strong performances in the IPL, came as a surprise. Gaikwad was the seventh highest run-scorer in the tournament, accumulating 590 runs and emerging as the top scorer for the Chennai Super Kings. Rinku Singh, who played for the Kolkata Knight Riders, scored 474 runs at an impressive average of 59.25 and a strike rate of nearly 150.
After the T20I series, India will play two Tests and three ODIs against the West Indies. The T20I matches will be held in Trinidad on August 3, followed by two matches in Guyana on August 6 and 8. The last two games will take place at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida, on August 12 and 13.
