5 surprise entrants in India's squads for the Australia tour

The BCCI selection committee has announced the ODI and T20I squads for India's tour to Australia starting January next year. While some of the regulars have yet again retained their spots, a few others have been left out despite decent performances in the recent past.There have also been some for whom continued perseverance has paid off and they have managed to push their way back into the team. And to top it all, there are some surprise entries in both squads, which no one would have expected considering how Indian teams have been selected of late.We take a look at 5 players who got a surprise call up:

#5 Manish Pandey

Pandey was not considered for the South Africa series

A chain of events from the recent past explains why Manish Pandey’s inclusion in the ODI team has been a surprise decision. Pandey was picked as part of a second string ODI side for the Zimbabwe tour where he played his debut game and scored 71, but was ignored for the subsequent home series against South Africa.

And now he has yet again been considered for the ODI team for the Australian tour. It is surprising because the selectors who deemed him fit for a second string side initially, have suddenly changed their stand and provided Pandey a ticket to Australia.

It may, however, be the perfect opportunity for the Karnataka batsman to put to rest any doubts about his credentials as a limited-overs specialist.

#4 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya’s inclusion has surely come as a surprise

Yet another surprise move from the selectors has been the inclusion of maverick allrounder Hardik Pandya in the T20I squad. Pandya first came into prominence due to his exploits for the Mumbai Indians in this year’s IPL and has also been doing a decent job for his domestic side, Baroda.

A seam bowling allrounder is the need of the hour for Indian cricket and young Pandya could provide them with a good alternative. This, however, depends on the number of chances he gets and how well he utilises them.

#3 Brainder Sran

Young Brainder Sran’s inclusion has been a surprise

The 23-year old left-arm seamer from Punjab would not have imagined that only 11 first-class and 7 List A games after his debut, he will earn his maiden call-up to the Indian team. Brainder Sran has performed quite well in the group stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season, picking up 13 wickets in 6 matches.

Sran may find it a bit difficult to break into the final XI with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav already in the squad. However, even being part of the squad may prove to be beneficial for his future in the game.

#2 Rishi Dhawan

Rishi Dhawan is a surprise entrant in the ODI team

The Himachal Pradesh allrounder has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and was also part of the India ‘A’ squad recently. But not many were expecting that Rishi Dhawan will be getting a maiden call-up to the Indian ODI team, that too for a tour to Australia.

A medium pacer and more than handy batsman, Dhawan could prove to be a handful in Australian conditions, provided he gets ample opportunities to play. If he comes good, India may finally be able to find a solution to the genuine seam bowling all-rounder issue.

#1 Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra has earned an unexpected spot in the Indian T20I team for Australia

Bet even Ashish Nehra himself did not see this one coming. Just months ago, he had said that he has almost given all hope that he’d don the Indian colours again.

In an unexpected turn of events, the selectors decided to include the 36-year old Indian pacer in the T20 squad. Perhaps Ashish Nehra’s exploits in the 2015 IPL may have influenced this decision, and also the fact that MS Dhoni was his skipper at CSK.

With just four pacers included in the T20I squad, chances are high that Nehra will be getting a game or more to show that he still belongs to the international arena.