Heaps of surprises in India's selection of T20 and Test squads

The Test squad - Murali Vijay in for Mayank Agarwal

Murali Vijay gets a surprise recall

The selectors have opted for the more experienced Murali Vijay in place of Mayank Agarwal. While the other opener Prithvi Shaw is inexperienced, K.L. Rahul is inconsistent and not in the best of forms. Hence, the selectors have decided to call back Murali Vijay after his good show for Essex in English county cricket. It remains to be seen whether Murali Vijay still has the game, patience, and temperament to succeed in Australia.

Rohit Sharma in place of Karun Nair

Rohit Sharma gets one more chance to prove himself in Test cricket

Rohit Sharma was last dropped after the second Test against South Africa. He was not considered for the tour of England. In between, he hasn’t played any first-class cricket but now suddenly he finds himself in the Test squad. The selectors might have thought the fast and bouncy wickets of Australia would suit Rohit’s stroke play. Now one only hopes any failure in red-ball cricket doesn’t affect Rohit’s confidence in white-ball cricket especially with the World Cup around the corner.

Karun Nair, who has been part of the Test squad in the last one year, has been left out to accommodate Rohit Sharma. Some of the remarks that Karun Nair made against the selectors might not have helped his cause either.