R. Ashwin has been included in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, starting 17 October in Oman and the UAE. MS Dhoni will also be there as the ‘team mentor’, and will work closely with head coach Ravi Shastri and the other support staff to ‘provide support and direction’, confirmed BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
Ashwin’s last T20I was against West Indies, back in July 2017. Though he has been regular in IPL, and is currently playing for Delhi Capitals.
Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav have been left out. They all played in India’s limited-overs series in Sri Lanka in July, but failed to make the cut. The selection committee opted for Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar, and Ishan Kishan instead.
Suryakumar Yadav, who made his debut in the home series against England this March, has also found a place in the squad.
Among the all-rounders, India have picked Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel along with Ashwin, while Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammed Shami will be their three seam options.
Shreyas Iyer, who has recently recovered from a shoulder injury, has been added as part of the reserves, along with Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur.
India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (Wk), Rohit Sharma, K.L. Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.
Reserves: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur.