India have suffered a massive blow ahead of the rubber, with their star all-rounder ruled out due to an injury.
After a resounding series win in Tests, India will take on Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series. The first match of the T20I series will start tomorrow in Gwalior.
However, India have suffered a massive blow ahead of the rubber, with their star all-rounder ruled out due to an injury. Shivam Dube has sustained a back injury, which will keep him out of action for this series.
Tilak Varma, the star batter of Mumbai Indians (MI), has been named his replacement. He will join the Indian squad in Gwalior tomorrow morning, hours before the start of the game.
“All-rounder Shivam Dube is ruled out of the three-match T20I series owing to a back injury. The Senior Selection Committee has named Tilak Varma as Shivam’s replacement. Tilak will link up with the squad in Gwalior on Sunday morning.” read the official statement.
Talking about India’s team combination, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have been confirmed to open the innings. Abhishek impressed during his maiden series against Zimbabwe, scoring 124 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 174.65 in four innings, including a century.
However, he didn’t get the opportunity in the next series against Sri Lanka when all the big guns returned but another chance to impress and solidify his position at the top. He will enjoy the tracks for this series, for they are expected to be flat and good for shot-making, something he likes.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson will be his partner in the series, forming a dynamic combo at the top. He has opened in five innings in his T20I career, accumulating 105 runs at an average of 21 and a strike rate of 161.53, including a fifty coming against Ireland.
His position has been unsettled, for he has been tried at various positions in the shortest format, but Samson hasn’t sealed any spots yet. There has been ample competition at the top, with several quality players in the queue, and Samson’s experiment will bring another option into contention, jamming the top spot further.
India’s updated squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, JItesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Tilak Varma
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