India has announced the 16 man squad for the upcoming T20 series against New Zealand on Tuesday. Rohit Sharma has been named the captain and will lead the side in Virat Kohli's absence.
KL Rahul has been appointed as the vice-captain for the three-match series. Rohit was named captain after Virat Kohli stepped down from the T20 captaincy at the end of India's journey in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
Notably, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested for the series. The BCCI released a statement that said, "The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked a 16-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. India is set to play 3 T20Is starting from 17th November 2021".
The squad includes uncapped players Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel, and Avesh Khan after their performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Meanwhile, Deepak Chahar, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel, who were on the standby list for the T20 World Cup, have been included.
Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been recalled to the team while Rituraj Gaikwad, who ended as the highest run-getter in the IPL was also included.
The squad in full: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj.
