India vs Australia: Chahal and Samson’s omissions raise eyebrows
India announced its squad for the T20I series against Australia on Monday, three days before the first match takes place with Suryakumar Yadav named captain
One glaring omission from India’s squad was leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who had also been snubbed by the selectors for the World Cup
Chahal had last played for India during the T20I leg of the West Indies tour in August, and the snub makes one wonder if he’s not part of the selectors’ plans for next year’s T20 World Cup
Also missing from the squad is wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who was also last seen in action in August in the tours of West Indies and Ireland
India have instead decided to include Jitesh Sharma, who had an impressive run in this year’s IPL wih Ishan Kishan and vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad the other wicketkeeping options
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who last played for India in the tour of New Zealand late last year, too has been ignored by the selection committee and might not be in the scheme of things in the shortest format