The forthcoming T20I against the West Indies was already expected to have some changes in the Indian line-up. Notably, Ajit Agarkar, the newly appointed chief selector, proposed some bold decisions that were intended to improve the Indian team, although ultimately, some of the choices got more focus than others. On the same note, here are the key players who were not picked ahead of the West Indies tour under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya.
#1 Rinku Singh
Notably, the biggest surprise for Indian cricket fans has been Rinku Singh’s exclusion from the upcoming tour after having great run in the recently concluded IPL 2023. The left-handed batter had produced 474 runs with a strike rate of 150 and a batting average of 59.2 for Kolkata Knight Riders in his IPL season last edition, which meant that he would be chosen to play in this series. The Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer is one of the greatest finishers in the nation and feels confident against pace. On the other hand, the selectors decided to pick Tilak Verma, another promising left-handed batter, over the 25-year-old batter. Additionally, there isn’t a special finisher on the Indian team besides skipper Hardik Pandya.
It’s noted that Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ishan Kishan are some of the opening choices for India in the squad. Therefore, they have no need for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has mainly been used at the top of the order in past games. However, it could not have been an easy decision to pick Kishan above Gaikwad. The stylish right-handed batter had delivered plenty of significant impact knocks in the powerplay while representing the crowned Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Notably, the Pune-born cricketer didn’t get many chances to make appearances for the nation’s cricket squad, but when he did, the 26-year-old failed to perform well, which is perhaps one of the reasons why the top-order batter was let go.
#3 Shivam Mavi
The intriguing case of Shivam Mavi raises questions regarding a key problem concerning the Indian selection process. Notably, the Delhi-born cricketer was quickly brought into the T20I setup, and in his very first match, the 24-year-old took up wickets, garnering praise as a player of the future. In the time that followed, the right-arm pacer continued to be a part of the T20I group before being let go.