Rohit Sharma was on Tuesday named Team India's T20I captain ahead of New Zealand's visit for a bilateral series, starting with the first of three T20Is on November 17 in Jaipur. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also named a 16-member squad for the series against the Blackcaps. India crashed out of the T20 World Cup after finishing third in Group 2 behind Pakistan and New Zealand. Ahead of the showpiece event, Virat Kohli, who was leading the team across formats, said that he would relinquish the T20I captaincy after the end of the T20 World Cup in the UAE, citing workload issues. India thrashed Namibia by nine wickets in Kohli's last game as T20 skipper on Tuesday.
With Kohli being rested for the T20I series, Rohit will lead the team during the three matches, while KL Rahul has been named vice-captain.
"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked a 16-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. India are set to play 3 T20Is starting from 17th November, 2021," the BCCI said in a statement on Tuesday.
In the same light, fans took to Twitter to express their excitement regarding Rohit's appointment as India's T20I skipper for the series against New Zealand.
Here are some of the reactions:
Apart from three T20Is, India will also host New Zealand in two Tests in Kanpur and Mumbai. However, India's squad for the two-match Test series is yet to be announced.
India's squad for T20I series against New Zealand T20I:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj.