Team India is getting ready for their first limited-overs match of the new year, which will be against Sri Lanka. The tour will begin with a three-match T20I series, then move on to three ODIs.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja were among those left off of India’s relatively young T20I roster. The Men in Blue will be captained by Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav has been named as his backup.
India’s squad for the Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar
Here are three Indian players who might not get a game in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
1. Shivam Mavi
In his profession, Shivam Mavi seems to be in the midst of a golden period. The young spinner thrived in the domestic white-ball season after battling injuries and bad form, and he appears prepared to advance to international cricket.
Mavi, though, might not be trusted to wear the India blue at such a young age, especially with more seasoned alternatives in the squad. The three frontline pace options in the XI are probably going to be Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, and Harshal Patel, and they all need long runs. Perhaps the Men in Blue should field an additional spinner and use Hardik as their third fast bowler.
Mavi might sit on the bench against Sri Lanka, but it won’t be long before he joins the starting lineup.
2. Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi has played in a few white-ball matches for India, but he has yet to earn his first cap. Unfortunately, he might only be able to play in the Sri Lanka T20I series.
Ishan Kishan is anticipated to be one of India’s openers, however it is unknown who would be his partner. Although Ruturaj Gaikwad has played for the T20I team for a longer period of time, his results haven’t been fantastic. In 2022, Shubman Gill, who has not yet made his debut in the format, experienced a breakthrough. In contrast, Tripathi is a versatile batter who bats with more purpose than the other two.
Gaikwad could be the one to receive the nod if India adheres to their pecking order ideology. Gill may be the favourite if they support their recent performance. Gill reacted to Hardik’s IPL 2022 captaincy with a productive season. Although Tripathi would appear to be the strongest option on paper, he might not be ahead of the other two at this time.
Furthermore, with Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, and Sanju Samson in the mix, middle-order positions are difficult to come by. Tripathi deserves to play against Sri Lanka but may not get the chance.
3. Mukesh Kumar
Perhaps a little unexpectedly, Mukesh Kumar was selected for India’s T20I team. He has participated in 23 T20 Internationals, taking 25 wickets at an economy rate of 7.2, and has never played for an IPL team before the Delhi Capitals signed him in the 2023 auction.
Mukesh can swing the ball both ways and is generally a powerplay bowler. He lacks the speed required to be a middle-overs enforcer and is not proven at the death.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was not chosen by India for the series, but Arshdeep Singh can still have an effect with the new ball. Mukesh will be preceded in the pecking order by players like Harshal Patel and Umran Malik, while Hardik Pandya has played a variety of roles with the ball for the Gujarat Titans.
The time it takes for Mukesh to play in international cricket may be a little longer.