IND対ENG T20I：ハルディク・パンディア氏は指導的役割から無視されていないとスリヤクマル・ヤダフ氏が明らかに

Team India’s Champions Trophy squad was finally announced on Jan 18, after much delay, and there were a few surprises here and there. And the biggest of them was, Shubman Gill being named as Rohit Sharma’s deputy, while senior member Hardik Pandya was ignored. In fact, that is the case with the IND vs ENG T20I as well, where Axar Patel was named Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy, and Pandya was overlooked again.

Hardik Pandya Still in Leadership Group

While many might believe that the management is not really looking at Hardik Pandya as the leader anymore, Surya clarified on the eve of the first T20I in Kolkata, that he is very much part of the leadership group. While answering to the query, India’s T20I skipper said, “The relationship with Hardik is really great. It is just the added responsibility that I have got. Hardik is part of the leading group. We have been good friends,” quoted as saying by RevSportz.

Dhruv Jurel Makes Cut, Rishabh Pant Misses Out

Many expected Rishabh Pant to be in the T20Is, but instead, Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel were picked as the two keepers. The latter isn’t a specialist T20 batter, and has only played two matches in the format for India. But the good news for Team India is, pacer Mohammed Shami is back, after a hiatus of over a year.

India Squad for England T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel (wk).