NEW DELHI: Gloveman Ishan Kishan and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer were the two notable absentees in India's 16-man squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, starting January 11.
The duo's exclusion came as a surprise for many as the news of their non-selection was a buzz on social media after the squad was announced.
Prior to their exclusion, Ishan opted out of two Tests against South Africa citing personal reasons while Shreyas had a torrid outing in the series, scoring just 41 in four innings.
A recent report in Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika has now claimed that Ishan and Shreyas were excluded from Afghanistan T20Is on disciplinary grounds.
The report stated that selectors were quite miffed with Ishan as he was seen partying with former India captain MS Dhoni in Dubai after opting out of Test series. Following that Ishan also appeared in a popular TV quiz show. The report further said that Ishan's actions might further lead to his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad.
On the other hand, selectors were also quite unimpressed with Shreyas' shot selection during the South Africa Test series and wanted the batter to play for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy after returning home.
1/9:Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli return to India's T20I squad
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2/9:Comeback after 14-month gap
<p>Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli last appeared in a T20I for India in the T20 World Cup semifinal against England in November 2022.</p>AFP
3/9:Rohit Sharma to lead India
Hardik Pandya's injury in the ODI World Cup and Suryakumar Yadav's ligament tear resulted in a lot of inexperience at the top of the order.Getty Images
4/9:Rohit may lead India in T20 WC too
While Rohit's chances of leading India in the T20 World Cup has considerably brightened, the development comes across as a big blow to Hardik's captaincy ambitions at the global event in June.Getty Images
5/9:Sanju Samson in the squad
The T20 squad also featured Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma, who will be the two glovesmen with Ishan Kishan being ignored for the shortest format.AFP
6/9:Bumrah, Jadeja rested
Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, the two Test team certainties, have been rested and Ruturaj Gaikwad isn't fit to play yet.PTI
7/9:India's last series before the World Cup
All-rounder Shivam Dube has also been named in the squad in Hardik's absence. The Afghanistan series will be India's last before the World Cup, which takes place right after the IPL.PTI
8/9:'It's a very tough decision'
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith reckons leaving out the likes of Rohit and Kohli from any team is extremely tough.PTI
9/9:India's Squad for 3 T20Is against Afghanistan
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.PTIBut the 29-year-old instead asked for some time off. Shreyas' call did not go down well with the selectors as they decided to drop him from the Afghanistan series. However, Shreyas later made himself available and was added to the Mumbai squad for the Ranji game against Andhra Pradesh, starting January 12.
The report further added that the Ajit Agarkar-led committee has chosen to deal strictly with players who do not take Test and first-class cricket seriously.
The selectors though were quite impressed with Rinku Singh and Shubman Gill's hard work and commitment and the former might soon get a chance to feature in the traditional format.
