KL Rahul was picked in the first two One-day Internationals and Twenty20 International squads for India’s limited-overs series against Australia, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on Friday. Punjab wrist-spinner Mayank Markande, who impressed for India A recently, has received his first call-up to the Indian squad. Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik has been left out of the ODI team altogether but got the nod in the T20Is. Captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma will be be a part of both squads while young wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant also made his way back after missing out in the ODI squads for Australia and New Zealand recently. Pacer Siddarth Kaul also makes a return and like Pant, also features in both formats. Young left-armer Khaleel Ahmed misses out while Bhuvneshwar Kumar will only feature in the last three ODIs. Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested in Australia and New Zealand, returns to the team. Ambati Rayudu and all-rounder Vijay Shankar will get another chance to push for a spot in the World Cup and will play in all five ODIs. India’s squad for 1st and 2nd ODI: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Siddharth Kaul, KL Rahul India’s squad for Australia T20Is: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Siddharth Kaul, Mayank Markande India’s squad for remaining three ODIs: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant<doc-sep>Dinesh Karthik took India to victory with a dazzling finish against Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy. (Source: AP) Dinesh Karthik took India to victory with a dazzling finish against Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy. (Source: AP) Two sets of teams were announced on Friday by the All-India Senior Selection Committee- one for the two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) series and the other for the One-Day Internationals (ODIs) versus Australia. With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 scheduled to begin in May, all eyes will keenly follow the ODI set up which is expected to be a mirror image of the 15-man squad expected to catch the UK bound flight. Selectors have divided the ODI squad into two halves- one for the first two ODIs and then the next three. The only change in between the two is that Siddarth Kaul will be replaced by Bhuvneshwar Kumar after first two encounters. Along with Kumar, who has been rested, Kuldeep Yadav also gets time off. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant come into the squad but the most notable omission is that of wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik. Cricket fraternity at large has expressed anguish on this move and the question doing the rounds is whether this the end of the road for the 33-year-old? Since 2018 in ODIs, Karthik has played 10 matches and registered scores of 21, 33, 31 not out, 1 not out, 44, 37, 12, 25 not out, 38 not out and 0. Despite coming in to bat at a tricky position of no 6, Karthik has made meaningful contributions (if not centuries) and most importantly times when his team needed it. Given the role of a finisher, time and again he has shown the temperament needed for that slot. One might question his failure in the T20I against New Zealand in Hamilton but that is a not a common occurrence. A throwback to the previous series Down Under, reveals how he helped India draw level in the must-win ODI at Adelaide. Once again batting at number 6, he forged a match-winning partnership with MS Dhoni and remained unbeaten on 25 of 14 balls. Even in T20Is, Karthik has shown good form. His famous knock to help India lift the Nidahas Trophy is hard to forget. Most interestingly Karthik is among the top three batsmen with the highest number of not-outs (7) in a successful run-chase. Just going through some batting numbers of @DineshKarthik over the last 18 months and its not surprising to see that he has become one of the best finishers in the world right now. This version of DK is all that he ever wanted to be, I am very happy for him. 👏#INDvsAUS — Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) 16 January 2019 Karthik does not boast of a power game. But what works in his favour is his ability to play with the bowler’s mind and maneuver the field as per his convenience. His creativity is what sets him apart from his contemporaries. Rishabh Pant has been included in the side with a view that he can provide the surprise element and also because a southpaw brings variety in the batting order. Being the finisher in a cricket team involves a lot of pressure and questions still persist whether a young Rishabh Pant can carry it responsibly in a major tournament like the World Cup. With the inclusion of Vijay Shankar, the complexion has got a little bit more complicated for Karthik but has KL Rahul, who is possibly playing the role of a back-up opener, done enough to warrant a ticket to UK at the expense of Karthik? Based on form and track record, Karthik’s exclusion seems a bit unfair but chief selector MSK Prasad has not ruled him out yet. Speaking at the press conference in Mumbai, Prasad said, “Prior to this we had two series in New Zealand and Australia, that is where Karthik was chosen,” he said on Friday. “Because Rishabh played four Test matches, so we wanted him to get a good break. He had a 20 days’ break.” “Then he played a couple of one-day matches against England Lions, in which he did extremely well. Then we sent him to the T20 matches (in New Zealand). So we want to give him a few ODIs also before taking a final call,” he explained. A lot of answers will come out as when the ODIs against Kangaroos begin. How Virat Kohli rotates his playing XI will definitely reveal a few unanswered queries. However, for now, the door is still ajar for Karthik. Unfortunately, his fate also depends on how the likes of Rahul and Pant deliver in the upcoming series. In case they perish then the think tank surely has to go for Karthik. Will DK make the cut or will he miss the bus? For now it a matter of conjecture and only time has the best answer. India’s squad for 1st and 2nd ODI: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Siddharth Kaul, KL Rahul India’s squad for remaining three ODIs: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant India’s T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Siddharth Kaul, Mayank Markande<doc-sep>
Rishabh Pant has been named in the T20 and ODI squads against Australia. Dinesh Karthik’s World Cup hopes suffered a blow on Friday after India named Rishabh Pant as the second wicketkeeper for next month’s home one-day series against Australia. With MS Dhoni assured of his place behind the stumps, 33-year-old Karthik has been optimistic of securing a back-up role having also transformed himself into a lower order batsman who can float in the order. India, however, opted for 21-year-old Pant, who like Karthik can play as a specialist limited-overs batsman and has been very impressive in the Test series in Australia. Every Test, ODI, T20I, and BBL match live. SIGN UP NOW! Rishabh Pant scored a century last time he faced Australia. Source: News Corp Australia Chief selector MSK Prasad said having a left-handed Pant in the middle order suited the team, but added they were yet to decide on the back-up keeper’s slot. “Prior to this, we had series in New Zealand and Australia where Karthik was chosen because Rishabh had played four Test matches,” he said. “We wanted him (Pant) to get a good break... he played a couple of one-day matches against England Lions, in which he did extremely well. “Then we sent him to the T20 matches (in New Zealand). We want to give him a few ODIs also before taking a final call.” Pant won plenty of admirers in Australia over the summer with his swashbuckling batting, piling on 350 runs in the Border-Gavaskar series and making an unbeaten 159 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He was also involved in one of series’ more colourful moments, with Tim Paine asking him if he was free to babysit his children during the January ODI series, given he had been over looked. Warner’s hopes of instant return fading fast Like Karthik, spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was also overlooked for the ODI series against the reigning world champions, which is perceived as a dress rehearsal for India’s World Cup campaign in England later this year. The successful wrist spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were the obvious picks for the ODIs and are set to travel to England where the two-times champions begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5. Opener Lokesh Rahul, despite his struggle for form and provisional suspension for inappropriate comments on a TV chat show, was named both in the one-day and Twenty20 squads. Captain Virat Kohli, who led India to their first ever Test series victory in Australia and skipped the second half of the limited overs series in New Zealand, returns to lead the side. India host Australia for Twenty20 matches on February 24 and 27 before the five- match one-day series kicks off in Hyderabad on March 2. India ODI squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Lokesh Rahul, Siddharth Kaul (first two matches), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (last three matches) India Twenty20 squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Sidharth Kaul, Mayank Markande — with Fox Sports