Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami made their comebacks into the team as the India squad for the Australia limited-overs series was announced in Delhi, with MS Dhoni confirmed as captain until the World T20.
After a terrific performance against South Africa in the Test series, it is back to coloured clothing for India, as the Men in Blue play Australia Down Under in a five-match ODI series and a three-match T20 contest.
There were a few surprise choices in both the ODI squad and the T20 squad, with Yuvraj Singh making his much-awaited comeback into the India team. The left-hander missed out on the ODI squad, but Yuvraj, still hugely popular with the Indian fans, will get a chance to prove himself in the T20 series.
That is good news for the veteran, because if he grabs his opportunity in Australia, the selectors will have to name Yuvraj in the India squad for the World T20 as well. Another veteran and fellow Punjab player Harbhajan Singh also makes it to the T20 squad, while the off-spinner was not picked for the ODI series against Australia.
"Yuvraj has been special and captain is happy to have him back," chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said. "We will need experienced players in the T20 WC. The Australia tour is the perfect chance to give them a shot."
The usual suspects remain in the squad, with Dhoni, who was a part of the decision making process on Saturday along with the other selectors, returning as captain – the selectors also confirmed the main man would lead India in the World T20 -- having watched from the sidelines as Virat Kohli led India to a wonderful 3-0 series victory over South Africa in Tests.
Jadeja returns to the limited-overs setup – he was picked in both teams -- after his fabulous show for India in that very Test series, while Shami also makes his way back in following a long-term injury, which kept him out of international action since the end of the 50-over World Cup early this year.
There were a couple of interesting inclusions as well, in both squads. Brainder Sran, the 23-year-old fast bowler from Punjab, gets his first callup to the India ODI squad, while Karnataka's Manish Pandey will also be given a chance to impress.
Gurkeerat Singh Mann, still waiting to make his debut, will get another opportunity to probably make an impact, although the all-rounder wasn't picked in the T20 squad.
In that particular team, apart from the interesting inclusions of Yuvraj and Harbhajan, the big-hitting Hardik Pandey also finds a place along with the experienced Ashish Nehra, who has shown some good form with the white ball.
"Nehra is a consistent performer in T20 format. He will be useful in the team," Patil added.
Suresh Raina's poor form in the South Africa series has led to the left-hander being dropped from the ODI squad, but he does find a place in the T20 side, while Ishant Sharma will get a chance to show he still has ODI chops.
India squads: ODI series: MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Rishi Dhawan, Brainder Sran.
T20 series: MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandey, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra.
