NEW DELHI: In a development which could signal the course of India's white-ball cricket, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have asked the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to not consider them for the white-leg tour of South Africa. This has meant that the selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, had to name three different captains for three formats for the month-long tour.
While Suryakumar Yadav continues to lead the T20I team in the absence of Rohit and Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul has been handed the ODI captaincy and Rohit will be back to captain in the two Tests. Jasprit Bumrah has been named the vice-captain for the Test matches.
Mohammed Shami has been included in the Test team subject to fitness since he is going medical treatment. While the BCCI didn't specify the nature of injury, sources said that the medical team has conveyed to the selectors that the pacer has a good chance to be fit for the Test series.
It has been learnt that the BCCI and the selectors tried to prod Rohit to play the T20Is, keeping the upcoming T20 World Cup in June. But Rohit has expressed that he is not keen to play the shortest format as of now. Kohli too has asked for an indefinite break from white-ball cricket. Rahul has been dropped from the T20I team. Interestingly, Axar Patel has also been dropped from the T20I squad as Ravindra Jadeja has been appointed the vice-captain.
The three-match T20I series is being seen as an opportunity to get the core team ready for the T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean. That's why Shubman Gill will be playing the T20I series at the start of the tour and will be rested for the three ODIs before the Test series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Kumar are the only players to be picked across formats.
India vs South Africa: Three formats, three captains
Rahul back in Tests as WKAs TOI has reported on November 22, the selectors have decided to move on from Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. The selectors have got Shreyas Iyer in the middle order with KL Rahul agreeing to don the gloves in the longest format. Rahul was dropped from the Test squad midway through the home series against Australia earlier this year. Rahul provides a solid batting option in the middle-order. Ishan Kishan will be the second wicketkeeper.
With a question mark on Shami's availability, Parsidh Krishna has been kept in the Test squad. Shardul Thakur has been retained to perform all-round duties down the order.
India's squad for 2 Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd. Shami*, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna.
India's squad for 3 ODIs: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (C)(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar.
India's squad for 3 T20Is: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar.