A host of new faces have made their way into the India squads for the upcoming Test and ODI series against Afghanistan.
The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, met in Guwahati on Tuesday. The one-off Test, which is not a part of the World Test Championship cycle, will be played in Mullanpur from June 6, while the three-match ODI series, beginning on June 14, will be hosted by Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Chennai.
Rajasthan left-arm spin all-rounder Manav Suthar, Vidarbha left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and Punjab fast bowler Gurnoor Brar received their maiden call-ups to the Test squad. Dubey and Brar also feature in the ODI squad. Delhi pacer Prince Yadav has also made the cut for the one-dayers.
The selectors took a few tough calls at the meeting. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja have been rested from the one-off Test, while Rishabh Pant has lost his Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul. Left-arm spin all-rounder Axar Patel has not found a place in either squad.
Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan make comebacks to the 50-over format. The ODI squad does not include Pant, Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Ayush Badoni, Harshit Rana and
Mohammed Siraj, all of whom were part of the home ODI series loss to New Zealand in January.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are both part of the ODI squad. But the inclusion of Rohit, as also that of Pandya, is subject to fitness clearances.
Shubman Gill retains captaincy in both formats.
Pant has had a horrible IPL this time, both as a batter and captain of the Lucknow
Super Giants. Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, minced no words to clarify that they want Pant to concentrate only on Tests.
“We want him to become the best Test player that he has always been,” Agarkar said. “I don’t think there is any concern with his spot in the Test team. I think he is one of our main batters in that line-up. (He) had a really good tour of England till he got injured. So, I am sure he would like a few more runs.”
On choosing Rahul as the vice-captain, Agarkar said: “KL provides us with the necessary experience that you need in case the situation arises. Plus, he has obviously had a really good tour of England and against the West Indies.”
Agarkar backed the changes in the Test team saying it is going through a transition. “With the Test team, you can see there is a lot of transition happening at this point. So, we are looking at options.”