Rohit Sharma returns to Indian T20 squad for New Zealand tour, Sanju Samson misses out

After impressing in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, the next assignment for team India is a tricky five-match T20 series away to New Zealand. The squad for the tour was announced on Sunday and there were just a couple of changes, with Rohit Sharma returning in place of Sanju Samson and Mohammad Shami being recalled as he was rested for the Sri Lanka series.

Sanju Samson failed to impress in the one chance that he got against Sri Lanka in the final T20I as he scored just 6 runs. Sharma was rested for the Sri Lanka series and will be fresh as a daisy by the time the first T20 begins on January 24. The opener last played a T20 series against West Indies where he scored 94 runs in three innings but more importantly at a strike rate of 151.61, providing quick starts at the top of the order.

The likes of Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur were absolutely fantastic against Sri Lanka and will look to perform well against New Zealand and further increase their hopes of a place in the T20 World Cup squad.

Also see – Ranji points table

T20I squad: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur