Why was Abhishek Sharma dropped from India T20 team for Sri Lanka series?

Suryakumar Yadav named T20 captain, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to feature in ODIs

India's Abhishek Sharma celebrates after reaching his century during the second T20 against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday, July 7, 2024. AFP

Abhishek Sharma's century helped India post 234-2 against Zimbabwe in the second T20. AFP

Abhishek Sharma hit seven fours and eight sixes in his century. AFP

Abhishek Sharma's ton helped India register a 100-run win in the second T20 against Zimbabwe. AFP

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a fine 77. AFP

Avesh Khan picked up three wickets to help bowl Zimbabwe out for 134. AFP

Leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi continued his good form in Harare. AFP

India defeated Zimbabwe by 100 runs in the second T20 after losing the series opener on Saturday. AFP

The India team for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour was finally announced on Thursday after delays and extensive deliberations under the new management spearheaded by coach Gautam Gambhir.

A number of surprise decisions were expected as the management laid out plans for the next major white-ball assignments – the 2025 ODI Champions Trophy and the 2026 T20 World Cup.

And the selections, especially in the T20 team, left many scratching their head.

India teams for Sri Lanka tour

T20: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Ꮪhubman Gill (vice-captain), 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, Mohammed Siraj

ODI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ꮪhubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana

India’s T20 captaincy

This was the biggest issue that cropped up over the past few days as the team management got together to pick the successor to Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20 Internationals after lifting the world title in Barbados.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen as a straightforward choice for T20 captaincy as he had played a crucial role in the T20 World Cup, including turning the match in India’s favour during the final against South Africa when the Proteas were on the verge of victory.

However, uncertainty over Pandya’s long-term fitness and patchy record as a leader weakened his position. Suryakumar Yadav was instead picked as captain with the next T20 World Cup in mind as he is the best all-round 20-over batsman in the side and is popular among team members.

What was really surprising, however, was the elevation of Shubman Gill as vice-captain in both the T20 and ODI sides, bypassing the likes of Pandya, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Given that the management is taking this bilateral series seriously and using it as a blueprint for the next few years, Gill has been earmarked as the next captain across formats.

Rohit and Kohli back

Rohit and star batsman Virat Kohli were on holiday overseas and were expected to enjoy an extended time off and give the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka a miss.

But coach Gambhir is reported to have requested both to be available as the team is scheduled to play just six ODIs ahead of the Champions Trophy, and that means limited chances to test combinations and finalise plans in 50-overs cricket.

Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been granted an extended leave. The fast bowler has performed exceptionally well of late and must now be preserved for crucial assignments, given that has has already suffered one major back injury.

Why was Abhishek Sharma dropped from T20 team?

This is the most controversial call made by the management, and one that has left cricket followers bewildered. Left-handed opening batsman Abhishek has gained a reputation of being the most attacking batsman in Indian cricket and showed a glimpse of his potential in the recent five-match T20 series in Zimbabwe where he smashed a 46-ball century in just his second match.

Abhishek and Yashasvi Jaiswal were seen as the best opening combination for T20s with Gill suited for the number three spot, now that Kohli has also retired from T20 Internationals.

However, Gill had earlier been picked as back-up opener for the T20 World Cup and once Rohit retired, he got elevated to the top of the order alongside Jaiswal. With the rest of the batting line-up brimming with experienced batsmen, Abhishek was left out. The management, surprisingly, picked Riyan Parag in the middle order, even though he had a poor tour of Zimbabwe.

Also dropped from the team was Ruturaj Gaikwad who performed admirably during the Zimbabwe tour, scoring 77 and 49 in winning causes.

So for continuity and future planning, Gill was picked even though he scored at a strike rate of 125 as an opener in Zimbabwe. Abhishek, who had a strike of 175, and Gaikwad, who made runs at 158 in Zimbabwe, were dropped. The fact that Abhishek is also a decent left-arm spinner who bowls regularly was not enough to earn him a spot in the team.

The three-match T20 series begins on July 27 in Pallekele, while three ODIs will be held in Colombo starting August 2.