New recruits for T20 squad

Mumbai, October 23 

Skipper Virat Kohli got no immediate break, while rookie pacer Mohammed Siraj and prolific batsman Shreyas Iyer made their way into a 16-member Indian T20 squad for the three-match series against New Zealand, starting on November 1. Despite speculation, Kohli was not rested for the T20 series. The skipper was also picked for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka, the first starting on November 16 in Kolkata.

Despite Kohli featuring in almost every game India have played in the recent past, chief selector MSK Prasad indicated that the “rotation policy was applicable” to the captain as well.  It is expected that Kohli will be rested for the final Test and the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, which is slated for December. “Regarding Virat, there were speculations that he would be rested for the whole Sri Lankan series. It is not right,” said Prasad. “As far as the Test series is concerned, he is going to play but at some point of time, the rotation policy that we are following will apply to the captain as well.” 

Kohli has been playing non-stop since IPL, and he himself and head coach Ravi Shastri have talked about the need to monitor players’ workload. “We are monitoring his workload. He has been playing continuously right from IPL, we need to give him a break, we will consider it after the Test series,” Prasad said.

Ashwin, Jadeja back  

There were no surprises in the Test squad with Abhinav Mukund making way for a fit-again first-choice opener Murali Vijay. Vijay did not play the last Test series against Sri Lanka due to a hand injury and some other fitness issues. Predictably, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja also made a comeback, with Kuldeep Yadav being the third specialist spinner in the 16-member squad. Senior speedsters Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma are back in the mix for the five-day format along with Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha.

Fresh faces for T20 

The 23-year-old Siraj has been rewarded with a place in the T20 squad for his impressive performances for India A during a recent tour of South Africa and against New Zealand. The 22-year-old Iyer, another newcomer, has been a consistent performer for Mumbai and India A during the past one year. He scored a double hundred earlier this year in a warm-up game against Australia, and a match-winning hundred against South Africa A in the summit clash of an away tri-series. “Shreyas has been prolific in all forms of the game, be it Tests, ODIs or T20s or IPL. If we pick a player, we will give him an extended run and will continue with him for some time and nurture him,” said Prasad. “Siraj, too, has been doing well and has been duly rewarded.” 

Nehra picked for Delhi T20I

Ashish Nehra, who will retire after the first T20 game against New Zealand on November 1, has been picked just for the first T20I, scheduled to be played in New Delhi, his hometown.  Prasad made it clear that the 38-year-old’s inclusion in the playing XI will be the team management’s decision. “Whether he (Nehra) is going to play or not is clearly the decision of the team management. There are no assurances from our side.” — PTI 

I owe my success to Ranji: Siraj

New Delhi: The day Mohammed Siraj was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL auction for a whopping Rs 2.6 crore, he promised himself that he would never let his father, Mohammed Ghaus, drive an auto rickshaw again. Elated over his maiden call-up to the Indian T20 squad, the joy of achieving the big feat and the satisfaction of keeping his promise was palpable in his voice. “I feel proud that at 23 I am good enough to take care of my family. The day I got an IPL contract, I told my father that he didn’t need to work anymore, and I’ve shifted my family to a new house,” said the pacer. “As for India call-up, I knew I would get the opportunity but did not expect it this soon. I can’t tell you how happy I am. When I told my parents, they were speechless. It’s a dream come true.” While IPL gave him instant recognition, Siraj feels it’s his hard work in the Ranji Trophy last season that helped him get the national call.  “Whatever I am today is primarily because of my Ranji Trophy performance. My 40-odd wickets last season gave me the confidence. There’s nothing like getting wickets in first class cricket. I was picked for Rest of India and then came the IPL deal. So much of the credit goes to my performance in first class cricket,” he said. — PTI

India squads

T20I squad (against New Zealand): Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra, Mohammed Siraj.

Test squad (against Sri Lanka) Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma.