Defending champions India named top order batter Shubman Gill and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in their Twenty20 squad on Tuesday for next month’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle order batter Shreyas Iyer, however, could not make the cut in the 15-member squad led by Suryakumar Yadav.
India’s test captain Gill has not played a T20 International since July last year when he was Suryakumar’s deputy on the tour of Sri Lanka.
“That’s where we started a new cycle,” Suryakumar, who took over T20 captaincy from Rohit Sharma after India won the 20-overs World Cup title last year, told reporters.
“After that he got busy with all the test series and he didn’t get an opportunity to play T20s because he was busy playing test cricket and Champions Trophy.
“So he’s there in the squad and we’re happy to have him.”
India also included Bumrah, whose workload has been a major concern for the team think-tank, which played him in three of the five tests in England earlier this year.
With three opening options in Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson — India could not accommodate Jaiswal.
“With regard to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate again,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said.
“There’s Abhishek Sharma, what he’s done over the last year or so, plus he can bowl a little bit, he gives us that option if required.
“One of these guys was going to miss out, Yashasvi just has to wait for his chance.”
Samson and Jitesh Sharma are the two wicketkeepers in the side, which also includes left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
India begin their Group A campaign against hosts United Arab Emirates in Dubai before meeting arch-rivals Pakistan at the same venue four days later.
India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson
