Maiden Call-up for Mayank Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy Returns as BCCI Announces Squad for Bangladesh T20Is

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.

Mayank Yadav, the speedster who had a stellar 2024 season in the Indian Premier League has now received his maiden call-up to the national team. Another notable addition is that of the mystery-spinner, Varun Chakravarthy who makes his way back into the side after three years.

Suryakumar Yadav will as expected lead the side, he had a successful start to captaincy under Gautam Gambhir as the Head Coach with the Indian unit taking a dominant 3-0 win over Sri Lanka during their white-ball tour in July, earlier this year.

It remains to be seen who will be the opening batter to partner Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order. None of the other players in the squad are a designated opener.

Among the all-rounders, Hardik Pandya will be at the forefront with the likes of Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar as the other options available.

In India’s fast-bowling department, Arshdeep Singh will lead the attack along with the likes of Harshit Rana and Yadav while Pandya and Reddy can also chip in when needed. Varun and Ravi Bishnoi will be India’s specialist spinners while the likes of Parag, Abhishek, and Sundar can also contribute with their spin options.

India’s wicketkeeping options include both Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. Samson was part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup but did not get to feature in the starting 11, he could likely open the batting and also be the first-choice gloveman as well.

After the completion of the Test series, India will play three T20Is at Gwalior, New Delhi and Hyderabad which will be played on October 6, October 9 and October 12 respectively.

While T20Is might not be the top-most priority at the moment, the younger players in the squad and those who have been given a chance will look to establish themselves with solid performances to help the side continue their dominant run in the shortest format of the game.

India’s Squad for Bangladesh T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav