Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced the 15-member squad for the 3-match T20I series against Bangladesh scheduled to start from Sunday (October 6).
Pace sensation Mayank Agarwal has got his maiden call-up. Sanju Samson has also made a comeback while Varun Chakravarthy has made a return after 3 years.
Full list of the squad announced by BCCI:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav.
Exciting New Prospect
India’s express pacer, Mayank Yadav, has stormed his way into the squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Fresh off a five-month rehabilitation stint at the National Cricket Academy, the 22-year-old speed demon from Delhi is ready to make his mark again.
Known for clocking speeds in the mid-150s, Mayank turned heads in the IPL for Lucknow Super Giants, bagging consecutive Player of the Match titles before an abdominal injury cut his campaign short.
Sky's Young Squad
The squad, led by Suryakumar Yadav, blends emerging stars with a sprinkling of seasoned campaigners. Hardik Pandya, the former T20I captain, is the only other senior member in this fresh lineup. Several familiar IPL faces make their return, including the enigmatic Varun Chakravarthy. The Kolkata Knight Riders' mystery spinner is back in the fold after three long years, having rebuilt his reputation with 21 wickets in 14 IPL games after a forgettable 2021 T20 World Cup.
Nitish Reddy, who narrowly missed out on the Zimbabwe tour due to injury, has been brought in as the backup all-rounder behind Pandya and Shivam Dube. Young guns like Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, and Harshit Rana have all secured spots, while Jitesh Sharma is the second wicketkeeper, backing up Sanju Samson.
Mayank's Chance to Shine
For Mayank, this series is a golden opportunity. It’s a chance for head coach Gautam Gambhir and the selectors to test the speedster's fitness at the international level, where he'll have the relatively lighter workload of just four overs. If he proves his fitness, a future in the longer formats surely awaits, with many believing he’s one of India’s brightest prospects.
Meanwhile, Chakravarthy’s return is a story of redemption. Overlooked for recent tours of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe despite his stellar IPL performance, it’s clear that Gambhir is keen to give him another shot, trusting in his deceptive leg-breaks and clever variations.
India’s three T20Is against Bangladesh are set for Gwalior (October 6), New Delhi (October 9), and Hyderabad (October 12), and all eyes will be on these rising stars.
India's squad for the Bangladesh T20Is:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav.
