India announce squad for T20I series vs Australia, Suryakumar Yadav set to lead side

After a heartbreaking loss against Australia in the finals of the ODI World Cup 2023, the Indian team is off to their next assignment against the ODI World Champions but this time both these will face each other in the T20 format. India and Australia will face each other in a five-match T20I series in India starting from 23rd November.

It’s not easy to be on the road for a hectic ODI World Cup and then straight away get ready for another series just 4 days after it. That is why the majority of the ODI players who are in the T20 scheme of things will be rested for this series and it will be a breeding ground to test new finds of the Indian cricketing setup for the upcoming T20 World Cup which is to take next year in June in the United States and West Indies.

Suryakumar Yadav will lead the young Indian T20I team in the absence of the current captain Hardik Pandya in the five-match series against Australia which will start on the 23rd of November as the latter is suffering from an ankle injury. The first match of the series will be played at Vizag, whereas the other venues of the series are Trivandrum, Guwahati, Raipur, and Bengaluru.

Ruturaj Gaikwad promoted to the 'Vice Captain' Role 

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed as the vice-captain for the first three matches and will be replaced by Shreyas Iyer as the vice-captain of the Indian team for the 4th and 5th T20I as the latter has been rested for the first 3 matches of the series. 

Some of the prominent T20 players such as Jasprit Bumrah and Shubhman Gill have been rested from the series against Australia. However, there have been some notable omissions that have created a stir in social media. The most prominent ones have been the exclusion of Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal from the side as they have a huge fan base on social media.

As the T20 World is not far ahead, this series will be a very good opportunity to test some of the young talent that has emerged from the domestic setup and the IPL and give them ample opportunities before the most experienced players are available for selection, so that a strong team could be prepared for the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2024.