Rohit Sharma will captain the Indian side in the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand starting November 17, the BCCI announced on Tuesday. This marks the official succession of Rohit as the skipper in the shortest format after Virat Kohli relinquished the T20I captaincy. Kohli has also been rested for the T20I series against the Black Caps.
With Rohit taking over the mantle from Kohli, KL Rahul has been named the new T20I vice-captain.
The notable inclusions in the 16-member squad are of Venkatesh Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel, thanks to their IPL performances. Senior pacers Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested, while allrounder Hardik Pandya failed to make the cut.
While the confirmation of Rohit as the next T20I captain is an obvious choice, the decision has made his fans happy who expressed their joy with creative and funny tweets.
Every end is a new beginning😌❤️@ImRo45 #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/ruH7R9pFfm— Sanju45 (@Rohitian_Sanju) November 9, 2021
Let's welcome our new CAPTAIN ROHIT SHARMA 💙 @ImRo45 #RohitSharma #india pic.twitter.com/gfhG7SFsXt— Bharath4️⃣5️⃣ (@Bharath71225660) November 9, 2021
Rohit Sharma Fans after appointment of Rohit Sharma as India's T20I Captain. pic.twitter.com/PQzdNTuZ94— Ritik Agarwal (@ritik_pics) November 9, 2021
Besides the three T20Is, New Zealand will also play two Tests against India during their bilateral visit which will conclude on December 7 in Mumbai.
Captain : Rohit SharmaCoach : Rahul DravidNext Year T20 WC Will Be Coming Home ✌️🇮🇳#RohitSharma #T20WorldCup @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/i472VlkEpb
— Ro-Hitman FC™ 🇮🇳 (@Rohit_FC_) November 9, 2021
2 Week's Before" Drop Rohit Sharma" T20I?-ReporterNow Team India T20 Captain @ImRo45 😎#RohitSharma 👑 pic.twitter.com/TMDtOV9xrw
— ViRoSn 👑 (@iam_tamil45) November 10, 2021
I think he's searching for that reporter who asked virat to drop him 😜🏃 @ImRo45 #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/Ic7XppXIPh
— 〽️σwnicк ᴮᴱᴬˢᵀ (@Mr_hypo_thetic) November 4, 2021
Meanwhile, India failed to advance into the final four of the ongoing T20 World Cup due to their losses against Pakistan and New Zealand in the first two games. Considered an initial favourites to win the ICC event, India were handed a big defeat by Pakistan on October 24 in their tournament opener. Pakistan’s 10-wicket win also ensured their first-ever victory over India in a World Cup match.
India ended the league stage of the T20 World Cup in third position in Group 2 after Pakistan and New Zealand - both of which made it to the semi-finals. Other two teams are England and Australia from Group 1.
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