Rohit Sharma to lead India’s T20I side against Afghanistan; Virat Kohli included

The Afghanistan series is India's last bilateral T20I series before the T20 World Cup, which starts on June 1.

Mumbai: Star opener Rohit Sharma and batter Virat Kohli returned to India’s T20I squad against Afghanistan as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday revealed a 16-player roster for three-match T20I series, starting on January 11.

The senior duo made a comeback to India’s T20I setup for the first time since the end of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, in what is a major development for the side ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

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“The Men’s Selection Committee announced India’s squad for the upcoming IDFC First Bank T20I series against Afghanistan,” BCCI said in an official announcement.

Rohit will lead the Indian squad in T20Is against Afghanistan with Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson taking up the wicketkeeper duties.

There are several all-rounders on the team, including Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel. Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav will be the leg spinners, with Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Mukesh Kumar handling the pace.

The other batters on the team are Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Tilak Varma.

Suryakumar Yadav, who led India in the T20Is in South Africa last December, missed out on the squad as he injured his ankle while fielding in the third and final match in Johannesburg. He recently had ankle surgery and is scheduled to return to training in a few months.

The T20I series between India and Afghanistan will kick off on January 11 in Mohali; the second game will be played on January 14 in Indore; and the series will conclude on January 17 in Bengaluru.

The Afghanistan series is India’s last bilateral T20I series before the T20 World Cup, which starts on June 1.

India’s Squad for three T20Is against Afghanistan: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar.