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Dhoni to lead full-strength India for Windies T20s in US

August 12, 2016 19:33 IST

The two-match Twenty20 series against the West Indies in the United States will be played on August 27 and 28.

Team India players celebrate a dismissal

IMAGE: Team India players celebrate a dismissal. Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a full strength India squad for the two-match Twenty20 series against the West Indies in the United States on August 27 and 28.

As many as 11 regular players who were rested for the tour of Zimbabwe in May are back in the squad.

The matches will be held at the Central Broward Regional Park, Fort Lauderdale.

The notable players making their return to the squad are vice-captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, the pace trio of Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav, besides the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra.

All-rounder Stuart Binny also found a place in the squad, announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Ajay Shirke via a media statement.

Senior cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh have been ignored for the series.

The trio will be playing in the Duleep Trophy in Greater Noida at that time. While Yuvraj will lead India Red, Raina will captain the Indian Green team in the four-day match domestic tournament.

Interestingly, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was named in the India Green team for the Duleep Trophy, has been selected for the US tour, which means he will not play India Green's first match against India Red from August 23-26.

Apart from Dhoni, the only other player to retain his place from the squad that toured Zimbabwe is batsman K L Rahul.

According to sources, the team has been carefully handpicked keeping in mind the Duleep Trophy, which will be played under lights and with pink balls for the first time.

"With the seniors and India 'A' teams in US and Australia, the first Duleep Trophy under lights and with pink balls would have needed a bit of star value," a BCCI source said.

Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay besides pacer Ishant Sharma, who are currently playing the Test series in the West Indies, were left out and will fly back to India after the conclusion of the fourth and final Test on August 22.

The squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, K L Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra, Stuart Binny.