Sanju Samson was handed a recall to the T20I outfit after a gap of more than four years as India’s selectors announced the squads for the upcoming home clashes against Bangladesh.
Samson and all-rounder Shivam Dube were the two fresh additions to India’s T20I squad for the three clashes against Bangladesh. The squad will be led by Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli given a rest for the T20I series.
Kerala’s Samson has long been touted for a bright India future but the wicketkeeper-batsman fell off the radar following his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in July, 2015.
The Rajasthan Royals man shot back into prominence recently when he smashed an unbeaten 212 for Kerala in a Vijay Hazare Trophy List A clash against Goa.
Meanwhile, Mumbai all-rounder Dube’s performance in the same domestic competition has seen him earn a first India call-up. The 26-year-old has also been impressive for the India A squad in recent months.
For the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, India have opted to retain the same squad which most recently whitewashed South Africa by 3-0 at home. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah continues to remain sidelined with a back-injury with Umesh Yadav retaining his place after a fantastic series against the Proteas.
The upcoming clashes against the Tigers were initially in doubt after Bangladesh’s players went on an indefinite strike. That strike has now been called off after the players were given assurances by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (PCB) that their 11-point demand will be met.
India and Bangladesh will first lock horns in the three-match T20 series with the series opener set to take place in New Delhi on November 3. The first of the two Test scheduled between the two sides will begin in Indore on November 14.
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk).
India T20I squad
Rohit Sharma(C), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant(wk), Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur.