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Tamil Nadu cricketers Shahrukh Khan and R Sai Kishore have been added to Team India’s squad as stand-bys for the upcoming T20I series against West Indies, starting February 16 in Kolkata.
“Yes, Shahrukh Khan and Sai Kishore have been chosen as stand-bys for the series against West Indies. They will be entering the bubble,” sources within Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) told ANI.
“With them being named as stand-bys, they are set to miss the initial phase of Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu,” the source added.
Notably, in the past few seasons, both Shahrukh and Sai Kishore have played crucial roles in Tamil Nadu’s emergence as a strong white-ball unit. While Shahrukh has been his team’s chosen finisher, Sai Kishore has been the go-to bowler for Tamil Nadu, be it in the Powerplays or death overs.
In fact, the duo played a massive role to help Tamil Nadu defend their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 last November when they beat Karnataka in a thrilling contest.
Sai Kishore had set the game up with his three-wicket haul to restrict a powerful line-up for 151/7. Then, both players teamed up to make sure their team crossed over the finish line. Shahrukh smacked unbeaten 15-ball 33, including a last-ball six, to bring home the title.
Both players are expected to be among major uncapped signings at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction on February 12-13 in Bengaluru. Notably, Punjab Kings (PBKS) roped in Shahrukh for INR 5.25 crore ahead of IPL 2021 but was released recently. On the other hand, Sai Kishore is yet to make his IPL debut. However, he has been part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) setup since 2019.
India’s T20I squad (Updated):
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore.
