New Delhi, November 9

Opener Rohit Sharma will succeed Virat Kohli as India’s T20 captain when they take on New Zealand in a three-match T20 series at home this month as the country’s cricket board (BCCI) announced a 16-man squad today. Fellow opener KL Rahul has been named Rohit’s deputy.

Kohli had stepped down as captain in the run-up to the T20 World Cup, where India failed to make the semifinals following two early losses to Pakistan and New Zealand. Kohli has been rested against the Kiwis along with pacemen Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

The selectors have made a number of changes to the squad that featured in the UAE, bringing in the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel, while dropping all-rounder Hardik Pandya. — Reuters

Squad

Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd Siraj.