5 important things to note from India's latest squads

The Indian selectors named the Indian squads for the one-off Test series against Afghanistan and the limited-overs leg of the tour of United Kingdom where the Indian team will take on Ireland in two-match T20I series followed by three-match ODI and T20I series against England.

Skipper Virat Kohli, who is set to play for Surrey in the month of June, is not included in the Test side while the ODI and T20I teams have some major changes. Let us take a look at five important things to note from the selection of all the three squads.

Squads:

Test squad vs Afghanistan: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Shardul Thakur.

ODI squad vs England: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Siddarth Kaul, Umesh Yadav

T20I squad vs Ireland and England: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Siddarth Kaul, Umesh Yadav

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#1 What's next for Ajinkya Rahane in limited-overs cricket?

Ajinkya Rahane

He might be the Indian Test team's vice-captain and one of the most important players in the line-up as he is a proven match-winner in the format. His absence from the playing XI was felt during the first two matches against South Africa earlier this year where Rohit Sharma replaced him in the playing XI.

The same cannot be said about his place in the limited-overs sides as he was dropped from the T20I squad long back and was also not included in the ODI squad for the England series as the selectors picked KL Rahul as the third opener.

This could be an indication that the Test team's vice-captain is not in the scheme of things for neither ODIs nor T20Is.

#2 IPL performances getting rewards

We have seen the Indian Premier League acting as a platform for many rookies to showcase their talents and the discards to make a point to the selectors and earn a call-up to the Indian squad again.

A couple of places in the Indian ODI side were at stake with a handful of cricketers giving auditions for the slots. Ambati Rayudu, who is the second-leading run-getter in the ongoing IPL, has got a call-up to the Indian ODI side, along with the current Orange Cap holder KL Rahul, as well as two of the leading wicket-takers in the tournaments, Umesh Yadav and Siddarth Kaul.

While these three were rewarded with a place in the Indian squad thanks to their performances in the IPL, there are a few names which include the likes of Manish Pandey, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami and Ajinkya Rahane, who could be axed from the ODI set-up.

The only name that was in contention and missed out from the Indian ODI or T20I squads is Rishabh Pant as the Indian side already have as many as three wicketkeeper-batsmen in their ranks and it didn't make any sense to draft in the southpaw.

#3 Beginning of the end for Rohit Sharma in Tests?

New Zealand v India - First Test: Day 3

Without a doubt, the biggest name that is missing from the Indian Test side for the Afghanistan series is Virat Kohli as the Indian skipper will be busy with his Surrey commitments.

After Kohli, Rohit Sharma is a notable absentee from the Indian Test side. While many expected the Mumbaikar to play at number 4 in place of Kohli, the Indian selectors have announced Karun Nair for the role and did not even include Sharma in the squad.

Why was Rohit left out? Is he dropped or rested? According to reports from ESPN, Rohit, who had a below-par Test series in South Africa, has been left out of the Test side as the selectors found Rohit's performance in South Africa "less than satisfactory".

Rohit has been struggling to get going in the longer formats and his exclusion from the Test side should not come as a surprise. So, can one safely say that this is the end of Rohit Sharma in Tests? Though I wish it happens to be the case, we will have to wait and see at least till the team for the Test series against England is picked.

#4 Only one A+ cricketer for the Afghanistan Test

Shikhar Dhawan

When the Indian team's new contract system was announced, it was revealed that the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will be the five names in the A+ category as they are the only set of players who will be a part of all three formats.

With Afghanistan touring India for their first-ever Test match in June, the selectors have named only one player from this list in the squad. It is also doubtful whether the only player, who is picked, Dhawan, will play the match as India have Murali Vijay and KL Rahul as the other two openers.

Skipper Virat Kohli will be preparing for the England series by turning out for Surrey while the fast bowling duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are rested. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, has been dropped from the Test team.

#5 No sixth bowling option in ODIs

Hardik Pandya

One of the most important talking points from the Indian squad selections is their sixth bowler's luxury in the ODI side. With the Indian team set to take the field with six frontline batsmen, four frontline bowlers and Hardik Pandya as the genuine all-rounder, there are just five bowling options in the XI with Virat Kohli being the next best option.

Though Hardik has improved by leap and bounds as a bowler, one cannot be sure that all five bowlers will have a good day whenever they take the field. On a few occasions, a bowler or two will get hit and the sixth bowler will come in handy in completing the spell of that bowler.

With Kedar Jadhav injured, one could have expected the selectors to pick Suresh Raina in the ODI side but, the southpaw was overlooked. So, in all likelihood, Kohli will have just five bowling options in the ODI series in England.