MS Dhoni Left Out For T20s Against Windies, Australia; No Virat Kohli For Windies T20s

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni were rested for the three-match T20I series against the Windies, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Friday. MS Dhoni has also been rested for the T20I series against Australia, signalling a possible end to his run in the shortest format. Rohit Sharma will be leading the 16-man India squad for the T20I series against the Windies in absence of Virat Kohli. Spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and all-rounder Washington Sundar have also been included in the squad for the T20I series against the Windies. The 29-year-old Virat Kohli will return to lead team India in the Australia tour with veteran wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel, Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay recalled to the side. Murali Vijay was dropped for the final two Test against England after a poor performance in the first three matches in the away series earlier this year.

He is back in whites - @ImRo45 is back in the Test squad for the Australia series #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/3CU85AXzLc

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 26, 2018

In another significant move, fit-again batsman Kedar Jadhav, whose omission from ODIs against the Windies came under the scanner, has been brought back for the fourth and fifth matches.

The committee said that Dhoni, the 2007 World T20-winning skipper, has been "rested" and India are now looking to fill in the second wicketkeeper's slot.

 But when asked if Dhoni's career in T20s is over, MSK Prasad said, "Not yet".

"We want to try out other keepers for the second keeper's slot," said Prasad.

The two keepers in the two T20 squads announced Friday are Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik.

MSK Prasad lauds @parthiv9's grit after being drafted into the Test squad for Australia series #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/951n23QEnL

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 26, 2018

The three T20s against Australia will get underway from November 21, followed by a four-Test series and three ODIs.

With Dhoni playing only seven T20Is this year and India's next ODI assignment only in January against Australia, the former captain won't be getting any domestic matches with both Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy already over.

The 37-year-old, despite being a sharp planner and a safe and agile hand behind the stumps, has been struggling to finish matches with the bat, something that came naturally to him at his peak and made him a modern legend.

The decision to "rest" Dhoni might just be the first sign of selectors trying to phase out the maverick former captain in at least one format.

A veteran of 93 T20Is, Dhoni has 1487 runs in the format at a strike rate of 127.09. The only T20Is left in the next six months is a three-game series against New Zealand, which is scheduled in February.

In some of the other decisions, Murali Vijay has been brought back in the Test squad for Australia along with the fit-again Ishant Sharma.

"Vijay went back and performed and considering the intensity of the series we have brought him," Prasad said.

Rohit Sharma has been included as an additional batsman in the Test squad and he makes a comeback after being dropped for indifferent form in South Africa.

"With regards to Rohit, he is a good back-foot player and his game is much suited in Australia," said Prasad.

Another significant comeback in the Test side is Parthiv Patel as the second keeper alongside Pant.

"Parthiv was not picked for Afghanistan Test and subsequent England series. He played the Duleep Trophy and whatever matches that happened, he batted well. It's an intensive series (in Australia) and we have called him back," reasoned the chairman.

Squad for three T20I match series against Windies:

Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Manish, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem

Squad for Four Test match series against Australia:

Virat Kohli (C), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Parthiv Patel, R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Shami, Ishant, Umesh, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Squad for three T20I match series against Australia:

Virat Kohli (C), Rohit (vc), Shikhar, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Khaleel

The selectors also announced a 15-man India A squad for the first four-day game against New Zealand A.

India A squad for first four-day game against New Zealand A: 

M Vijay, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Parthiv Patel (wk), K Gowtham, Shahbaz Nadeem, Md Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar,R Gurbani, Vijay Shankar, KS Bharath

(With PTI inputs)

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