No Rayudu in the T20 squad
Ambati Rayudu has proven to be a good pick by Chennai Super Kings who has scored 423 runs in ten games so far this IPL season, and sits in second place in the top run-scorers list. This should have been good enough for a spot in India’s T20 squad for England and Ireland, yet the selectors have only picked him for the one-dayers. That Rayudu finds himself in the one-day squad shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that he averages a very impressive 50 in 34 matches. Looking at the squads , it could be concluded that his biggest competitor for a spot in the T20 squad is Suresh Raina, who was recalled to the side recently. Both Rayudu and Raina are in their early 30s and have been in and out of the Indian team. Now with Dinesh Karthik in fine form with the bat, the competition for those slots in the T20 batting line-up is getting tougher.
No Rohit Sharma in Test squad
For all his success in limited-overs cricket, Rohit Sharma has struggled to nail down a permanent slot in the Test team. After scores of 11,10,10 and 47 in two Tests in South Africa, Rohit was left out of the Test squad for Afghanistan and he wasn’t named in the A squad for the four-day matches in England either. With Virat Kohli missing the Afghanistan Test, it could have given Rohit another lifeline but the selectors chose to reward Karun Nair instead. It could be that Rohit is being viewed mainly as a specialist limited-overs batsman. After all, he did captain India in Kohli’s absence in the T20 Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka which India won.
Suryakumar Yadav wasn't included in any squad
No IPL surprises
There weren’t many surprises in the India squads this time, with the selection committee not exactly swayed by the IPL performances of the up and coming stars and fresh faces like Mumbai Indians leg-spinner Mayank Markande. While Markande is only in his first season, others like Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Nitish Rana and Ankit Rajpoot have been around longer. Rajpoot, Krunal and K. Gowtham have been included in the A squads though, sending out the message that the IPL may not necessarily be the final selection trial, but an important step nevertheless in gaining the India cap. One uncapped player who has been rewarded with a call-up to the senior limited-overs teams is Siddarth Kaul, who has bowled well at the death for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kaul has been around since 2007, so he has the experience.
The choice of wicketkeepers
Rishabh Pant has had everyone gasping with his powerful hitting for Delhi Daredevils, with 393 runs in ten games, but he has missed selection for the senior side and finds himself only in the A squad for the tri-series in England. Pant has already played four T20s for India, most recently in Sri Lanka. With MS Dhoni rediscovering his form, Pant will have to wait for his chances. However, he missed out to KS Bharat from Andhra for the four-day matches in England. Pant has been deadly in Indian batting conditions. His performances in England with bat and gloves will be watched with interest.
Reward for Ranji performers
It would have hurt Rajneesh Gurbani no doubt when he went unsold in the IPL auction this year. However, the Vidarbha fast bowler has been named in the 'A' squad for the four-day matches in England. Gurbani was the second-highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy with 39 wickets and also took a hat-trick in the final. Karnataka batsman Mayank Agarwal is not a new face, but he made everyone notice with a record 2141 runs across all formats in the 2017-18 domestic season. Though he missed selection for the Indian teams, he made it to both 'A' squads.
