Fast bowler Avesh Khan was rewarded for his exceptional performance in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League after being called up for the T20I series against New Zealand. Avesh who had picked 24 wickets for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2021 expressed his joy and said that his dream has been fulfilled.
“Every cricketer has a dream that he plays for his country and he works hard to turn this dream into a reality. My dream has been fulfilled now,” Avesh, told PTI Bhasha.
The Indian team will be led by Rohit Sharma who has taken over the T20I captaincy baton from Virat Kohli as the latter had decided to step down from the post after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup. Kohli has been rested for this series.
Apart from this, Ruturaj Gaikwad who has shown some terrific form with the bat in the IPL, as well as in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, has also been included in the side. Venkatesh Iyer has also found a place for himself in the squad after a tremendous debut in the Indian Premier League as well as his exploits in the ongoing SMAT. Iyer played some important knocks for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021 season.
The Men in Blue will play three T20Is against the Blackcaps with the first encounter taking place in Jaipur on November 17 while the second and third clash slated to be held in Ranchi and Kolkata on November 19 and 21 respectively. The three-match T20I series will be followed by a two Test series as well.
India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj