India have announced the 12-member squad ahead of the first T20I to be played against West Indies at the Eden Gardens on November 3.
Rohit Sharma has been appointed captain of the side in the absence of Virat Kohli, and former captain MS Dhoni has already been axed from the initial squad. The Indian team have already clinched the Test and ODI series, but West Indies, who are the defending champions in this format, remain a potent force.
India’s 12-member squad:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal
“Dhoni has been such a massive player for us, over the years. His experience in the middle will be missed but again Rishabh (Pant) and Dinesh (Karthik) have great opportunity to come and perform and show what they are capable of as well. It gives them an opportunity to express themselves,” captain Rohit Sharma told media persons on the eve of the game.
The aforementioned squad could well mean that Krunal Pandya might get to make his debut at Kolkata after he was impressive in the IPL.
“These are the few names who have come and we got to see them what they have in their armoury for us to make the best possible squad in the World Cup,” Rohit added.