Yuvi, Nehra recalled in Indian Team led by Virat Kohli

Indian cricket entered a new era as Virat Kohli was today officially anointed captain for all three formats as he took over leadership for the limited-overs series against England where veterans Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra will make a comeback.

While Mahendra Singh Dhoni, after more than nine years at the helm, will play only as keeper-batsman, the national selection committee under MSK Prasad’s chairmanship named rookie Delhi keeper Rishabh Pant in the T20 squad giving an indication as to whom they consider Dhoni’s successor.

The selection committee meeting today had its share of drama and was delayed by three hours on technical grounds before a go ahead from the Lodha panel set the proceedings rolling.

Today’s meeting was convened by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri after joint Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary stood disqualified owing to the Supreme Court verdict, which sacked the entire BCCI top brass last week.

Among the notable omissions, Ajinkya Rahane has been dropped from the T20 team and Pant replaces him as a batsman who will also be Dhoni’s understudy in limited overs for the time being.

“We know what Mahi is all about, he is a captain by nature, a leader from the front,” Prasad showered accolades on the outgoing captain.

Yuvraj was in splendid form during the Ranji Trophy and scored 672 runs in five games at an average of 84 with a highest score of 260 against Baroda before he took a break due to his marriage.

“We should appreciate how Yuvraj has played. He did extremely well in domestic cricket, which has been appreciated,” Prasad told mediapersons about Yuvraj, who is making a comeback nine months after the World T20 last year.

Dhoni, Nehra, Rahane to get match time in warm-ups vs England

Short of match practice, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ashish Nehra and Ajinkya Rahane will captain the India A team for two warm-up matches against England at CCI here next week.

Dhoni, who has not played a competitive game in over two months, will lead the India A side in the opening warm-up here on January 10. Rahane, who is coming back from an injury, will captain the team in the second warm-up on January 12.

Teams picked the practice games comprise fresh faces as well experienced players, who are coming back from injuries or layoffs.

Among the star attractions at CCI will be Dhoni, who will be playing his first match since stepping down from India’s limited overs captaincy.

The other big names to feature in the opening warm-up will be Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra, who both have made a return to the national team after a nine-month gap. The seasoned players last played for India in the World T20 in March.

Nehra in fact is yet to play a competitive game after sustaining an injury during IPL and subsequently undergoing surgery in the United Kingdom. He will be making a comeback after six months.

Hardik Pandya, who got injured during the Test series against England, has also been named in the A squad for the opening warm-up. He finds a place in both T20 and ODI teams for the England series.

Young Delhi-wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who has impressed this Ranji Trophy season, has got his maiden India call-up. The attacking southpaw too has been in the A team led by Rahane.

The Rahane-led side for game on January 12 is full of domestic performers such as Deepak Hooda, Ishan Kishan, Vijay Shankar, Ashok Dinda, Vinay Kumar and Shahbaz Nadeem, who is the leading wicket-taker this Ranji Trophy.

India A team for 1st warm-up tie: Shikhar Dhawan, Mandeep Singh, Amabti Rayudu, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (captain), Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, S Kaul.

India A team for 2nd warm-up tie: Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Suresh Raina, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Kishan, Sheldon Jackson, Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem, Pervez Rasool, Vinay Kumar, Pradeep Sangwan, Ashok Dinda.