BCCI, on Monday, announced the Indian Cricket Team squad for the upcoming tour of Australia 2020. Indian team is scheduled to feature in a long tour of Australia comprising 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs, and four Test matches. The Indian squad is expected to travel for the Australia series from Dubai post the conclusion of IPL 2020 on November 10.
On reaching Australia, Virat Kohli's team will go through a quarantine period in Sydney where the team is slated to play the first two ODI in the three-match series. The team will travel to Canberra for the last ODI and the first T20I before returning to Sydney to play the last two T20Is at the historic SCG.
The entire India tour of Australia 2020 will be played inside a bio-secure bubble. Keeping in mind the protocols of the bubble, BCCI picked a huge squad covering all bases in each of the three squads. Here's a look at some of the major developments from the Indian squad in each of the three formats.
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Varun Chakravarthy earns a maiden T20I call-up
The Kolkata Knight Riders spinner, Varun Chakravarthy got a maiden T20I call-up after he was included in the 16-man Indian squad for the upcoming T20Is against Australia. The mystery spinner has had a brilliant IPL so far picking up 13 wickets in the 11 matches for KKR this season. His match-winning performance of 5/20 against Delhi Capitals arrived at a perfect time for him be to included in India's T20I squad. Indian Team might consider roping him in the playing XI for T20Is with a factor of mystery surrounding his bowling style.
Indian Team for T20Is
Openers: KL Rahul (VC), Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan
Middle-Order: Virat Kohli (Captain), Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer
Wicket-Keeper: Sanju Samson
All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Hardik Pandya
Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Deepak Chahar
No Rishabh Pant for ODI, T20I series against Australia
Rishabh Pant was excluded from the Indian white-ball squad for the Australia tour 2020. However, Pant did retain his spot in the Test squad. While Sanju Samson was chosen ahead of Pant in the T20Is, KL Rahul was selected as the only wicket-keeper for the ODI series. Pant's exclusion from the ODI squad comes on the back of an extended lean patch for the southpaw in the white-ball format. However, the 23-year old would be determined to stage a comeback in the Indian squad for the next assignment in 2021.
Indian Team for ODIs
Openers: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul (VC), Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal
Middle-Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey
All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya
Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur
KL Rahul back in the Indian Test Squad as Opener
KL Rahul finds his place back in the Indian Test squad after missing out for nearly two years now. Rahul would be eager to go past his terrifying Test tour of Australia in 2018/19 which saw his way out of the Test setup. However, a rejuvenated KL Rahul would want to carry the confidence of his recent white-ball performances even in the Test format. Along with a Test recall, the 28-year old has been appointed Virat Kohli's deputy in the limited-overs format for the upcoming tour of Australia.
Indian Team for Test matches
Openers: Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul
Middle-Order: Virat Kohli (C), Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill
Wicket-Keeper: Wriddhiman Saha, Rishabh Pant
All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin
Bowlers: Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav
Rohit, Ishant to be assessed by the BCCI medical team
It was a huge surprise when Rohit Sharma's name went missing from all the three Indian teams picked for the Australia tour 2020. However, it was also said that Rohit's hamstring injury will be monitored very closely by the BCCI medical team. Also, Ishant Sharma, who has been ruled out of the IPL 2020, might get fit in time to return for the first Test in Adelaide as per the NCA at Bengaluru.
