Shikhar Dhawan, Iyer join Team India in Ahmedabad after 11-hr drive ahead of England T20s

After putting up a stellar show in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer bid adieu to their respective domestic teams on Tuesday to report for national duty. The duo embarked on an 11-hour journey to join Team India in Ahmedabad for the 5-match T20 series against England. The star batsmen will undergo mandatory quarantine before joining the team which is currently playing England in the Test series. 

Both the cricketers were in Jaipur, playing for Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021. Taking to social media, Dhawan and Iyer shared pictures from their road trip to Ahmedabad. “11 hours drive to Ahmedabad. Let's see if the smile stays for that long," Shreyas Iyer captioned the selfie.

India announce T20 squad 

The BCCI has announced a power-packed 19-men squad led by skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma. After being ruled out of the Australia tour due to injury, IPL 2020 star Varun Chakravarthy has earned his maiden call-up for the national team. The BCCI has also called up Rahul Tewatia, who left his mark on IPL 2020, with some stellar show of power-hitting as he represented the Rajasthan Royals. 

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Veteran speedster Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has also been included in the T20 squad after being sidelined for months due to injury. The pacer had sustained an injury during the IPL 2020 in UAE and had to pull out of the cash-rich tournament mid-way. The squad includes several players who had a brilliant IPL 2020 as Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav has also received his maiden India call up. 

 Notably, pace spearhead Jasprit Burmah has been rested for the T20 series against England which begins on March 12. The pace batter comprises Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur. Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy will be heading the spin department. Meanwhile, the dream run for T Natarajan continues as the Tamil Nadu speedster has also been included in the squad after an impressive series against Australia. 

Check the full squad here

India-England T20 series

After having locked horns in the Tests which are currently underway, India and England will square off in the shortest format of the game. The 5-match T20 series assumes great significance with the T20 World Cup scheduled for later this year in India. The T20 series will begin on March 12 and subsequent matches will be played with a gap of two days. All five matches will be played at the grand Motera stadium in Ahmedabad. While there is no official announcement yet, crowds are expected to be allowed in the Motera for the matches as they have been allowed for the two Tests there. England is yet to announce its squad for the T20 series. 

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