There were also a few surprising omissions which raised eyebrows.
The Indian selection committee named the squad for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka later this month.
The Men in Blue are slated to play three T20Is and as many ODIs, slated to start from July 27.
While the respective squads were announced, the spotlight was on star India batter Suryakumar Yadav.
The dynamic middle-order batter pipped Hardik Pandya to become India’s next T20I captain following star batter Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the shortest format after the recent T20 World Cup 2024 win.
While the decision already stirred a debate, there were also a few surprising omissions which raised eyebrows.
In this article, we take a look at three such Indian stars who missed out on a spot in the T20I squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka series.
Talented young batting sensation Abhishek Sharma was one name that was surprisingly missing when the squads were announced. It was unfortunate for the youngster, who recently earned his maiden India cap during the tour of Zimbabwe, which started after the T20 World Cup 2024.
Abhishek, who had a breakout IPL 2024 season also registered a scintillating ton in just his second international appearance. Despite his recent heroics, he has been dropped and it can be inferred that the management wants to allow the youngster some more time to mature and then don the tricolour once again.
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Mukesh Kumar looked in excellent form in the recent Zimbabwe tour, taking 8 wickets in 3 matches but also faced the axe for the Sri Lanka series. He was dropped to make way for the likes of Khaleel Ahmed.
The 30-year-old Indian pacer has evolved into a complete T20 bowler and his recent performances serve as a testament to that. Mukesh Kumar’s significant progress lies in his evolution into a death-over specialist. In addition to his skill in swinging the new ball, Kumar has recently perfected a deadly yorker, elevating his status as a lethal force in the shortest format.
Another shocker was the absence of dynamic right-hander Ruturaj Gaikwad. Touted as one of the top candidates to become India’s next star batter, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper too missed out on a spot despite his crucial contributions during the Zimbabwe series where he scored 133 runs across 4 matches, including one half-century.
It appears that the Indian selectors remain unconvinced and that Gaikwad will need to continue working hard to become a mainstay in the team. Gaikwad can be a possible replacement for Virat Kohli at No.3 but the youngster will need to earn the trust of the selectors with some impeccable performances, given the renowned stature of his predecessor.
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