From Ruturaj Gaikwad to Ravindra Jadeja - Fans criticize India's T20I and ODI squad picks; Shubman Gill under scrutiny

After days of speculation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the squads on July 18 for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. The Indian team's T20I captain will be Suryakumar Yadav, with Shubman Gill serving as his deputy throughout the three-match series. The ODI team has been announced, Rohit Sharma has been named captain and even Virat Kohli will be back in action. Additionally, Gill has been named vice-captain for the ODI series. 

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Given his significant contributions leading up to the T20 World Cup, supporters were tolerant of Jasprit Bumrah's absence, but the exclusion of some players has infuriated them.

Here are the India squads for the Sri Lanka tour -

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

Amid all this, Gill is the player facing the most anger from fans. While he was the highest scorer for the Men in Blue in the series against Zimbabwe, his impact was not as significant as Yashasvi Jaiswal's or even Ruturaj Gaikwad's, who has not been named in this series. Many have also expressed frustration over the reasons behind making him the vice-captain when Hardik Pandya is part of the T20I series. So let's examine the omitted players.

Ruturaj Gaikwad:

Regarding Team India, the right-handed top-order batter hasn't had a particularly good run. He has also had difficulty establishing consistency when playing for the ODI team, and he is now without a spot in the T20I squad. In 2023, he last played a 50-over match in Gqeberha, against South Africa.

Abhishek Sharma:

The batter just made his debut against Zimbabwe and crushed a spectacular century off just 47 deliveries. But after being moved down the order, he was unable to get the necessary runs. Team India requires Abhishek's powerful striking skills, which he displayed admirably.

Ishan Kishan:

Shreyas Iyer was selected for the ODI team, however the wicket-keeper batter was not considered for inclusion. He won't be taken seriously again until after a complete domestic cricket season, if reports are to be believed, and competing in multiple IPLs is hurting his chances. 

Ravindra Jadeja:

While many claim that the all-rounder has been rested for this series, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20 cricket alongside him, have established themselves in the ODI team. Even though Jadeja's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign wasn't the finest, he still contributed to the winning squad.

Other players who did not make the cut:

The ODI Squad members Rajat Patidar and Tilak Varma, who previously toured South Africa, were also left out. The champion of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Kuldeep Yadav, has been left off of the Sri Lanka T20I team, and Sanju Samson is not included in the ODI team.

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