India and Windies are meeting in a five-match T20I series from Friday. Meanwhile, KL Rahul has been dropped from the T20I squad after suffering COVID and replaced by Sanju Samson.
Following a thumping outing in the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series, in which India won 3-0 against the Windies in the latter's backyard, the two sides are set to clash again, this time in a five-match Twent20 International (T20I). The opening game will be played on Friday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago. However, the Men in Blue have suffered a setback, as wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul contracted COVID last week and is yet to recover from the same thoroughly. Thus, he has been dropped from the side after being advised a one-week rest.
At the same time, fellow wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has replaced the disinclined Rahul in India's T20I squad for the Windies series, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the same on Friday. Samson featured for the Indian team in the just-concluded ODIs, scoring a half-century in the second match.
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"KL Rahul was earlier named in the squad, and his participation in the T20I series was subject to fitness. The batter tested positive for COVID-19 last week and has been advised rest by the BCCI medical team," BCCI secretary Jay Shah's statement confirmed.
IND's squad for T20Is vs WI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh.
(With inputs from PTI)