India’s T20I matchup with Sri Lanka will be captained by Hardik Pandya.
The BCCI announced on Tuesday that Hardik Pandya will captain India’s T20I team against Sri Lanka in the nation’s first home series of 2023.
This is the second series in a row that Hardik will lead India in T20Is in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, following the team’s November visit to New Zealand following the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal loss. The three-match T20I series kicks off on January 3 in Mumbai, then moves on to Pune and Rajkot.
The ODI series begins on January 10 in Guwahati, and Rohit, who recently suffered a thumb injury while playing for Bangladesh, will take over as captain. The final two games in the series will be held in Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram, respectively.
Both Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar and Uttar Pradesh seamer Shivam Mavi received their first-ever T20I call-ups. The uncapped pair won significant contracts in the IPL 2023 mini-auction last Friday. Mukesh Kumar was sold to Delhi Capitals for INR 5.5 crore, while Mavi was acquired by the reigning champion Gujarat Titans for INR 6 crore.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has also made his team debut following a successful run in domestic T20 and one-day tournaments.
The 16-man squad did not include Rishabh Pant, who served as India’s vice-captain in T20Is during the previous tour of New Zealand. Suryakumar Yadav has been promoted to serve as Hardik’s deputy while Pant is away.
KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, two veteran Indian batsmen, have also chosen not to play in the T20I series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India’s top wicket-taker in T20Is this year, was also left off the roster because Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik, two new players, are anticipated to take over for him.
