"Aakhir Sai Baba ne sun li"- Top 10 funny memes as Prithvi Shaw is named in Team India's T20I squad for New Zealand series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has formally announced the 16-man Team India squad for the upcoming three-match T20I home series against New Zealand on Friday, January 13.

Team India captain Rohit Sharma and his other senior teammates like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were once again missing from the T20 squad, which was the case during the Sri Lanka series as well. Hardik Pandya will continue to lead the young Indian side, with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy.

Most of the players who were part of the contingent that faced Sri Lanka managed to retain their spots. Axar Patel and Sanju Samson are the only players to miss out. Samson is yet to recover from the injury he sustained during the Sri Lanka series, while Axar was unavailable due to family reasons.

Team India's squad for the T20I series:

Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar.

After a long time, swashbuckling opener Prithvi Shaw made his comeback to international cricket as selectors named him in the T20I squad.

Fans were elated by the development as they had been longing to see Shaw in action for India in T20 cricket, considering his ultra-aggressive and fearless batting approach. They expressed their views on the same in the form of engaging memes.

Shardul Thakur replaced Arshdeep Singh in Team India's ODI squad for the New Zealand series

Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur made a comeback into the ODI side after missing the Sri Lanka series as he replaced seamer Arshdeep Singh. Andhra Pradesh wicketkeeper KS Bharat took KL Rahul's place in the squad, as the latter missed out due to personal reasons. Shahbaz Ahmed came in for Axar Patel as a like-for-like substitution.

Team India's ODI squad for the New Zealand series:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik.

About the author

Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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