left-arm spinner Akshar Patel was on Tuesday named in the Indian squad for the remaining two one-dayers against the West Indies and was also picked in the 14-strong team announced for the one-off Twenty20 against the Caribbeans.
The selectors did not make any changes to the ODI squad apart from adding Patel and retained pacer Ishant Sharma, who was brought in to replace the injured Mohit Sharma. India and the West Indies are currently locked 1-1 in the ODIs after the third match in Visakhapatnam was cancelled due to cyclone ‘hudhud’.
In the Twenty20 side, the selectors rewarded Manish Pandey for his decent performance in the IPl, in which he scored 401 runs in 16 matches this season at an average of 30.84 for Kolkata Knight Riders. His strike rate was an impressive 117.94 during the IPl.
“Undoubtedly, today is one of the best days of my career. You wait for that chance to don the India colours. That’s why you play the game and want to perform at the best of your abilities. Since the door has finally opened for me, I want to make best use of it and play for the country for a long time,” said an elated Pandey.
Patel, on the other hand, was in good form with the ball while turning up for Kings XI Punjab this season. He took 17 wickets in 17 games at a fine average of 23.82.
Pandey and Patel replaced Dhawal Kulkarni and Ambati Rayudu in the Twenty20 side, which was last seen in action during the tour of England. The Twenty20 match between the two sides is scheduled on October 22 in Cuttack.
The Board also announced the Board President’s Squad for a three-day practice game against the West Indies to be played in Kanpur from October 25. Suresh Raina will lead the 14-member side, which also features batsman Rohit Sharma and Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Parveez Rasool, who made his India debut with an ODI against Bangladesh earlier this year.