Mohammad Shami back in Indian team for ICC World Twenty20

New Delhi: Mohammad Shami made a comeback to Indian squad as selectors picked Indian squad for World T20 2016 and Asia Cup in New Delhi on Friday.

Young all-rounder Pawan Negi was the surprise pick for the World Twenty20 and Asia Cup while the selectors also reposed faith in veterans such as Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh in the 15-member Indian squad for the two events.

Other young players such as Jasprit Bhumrah and Hardik Pandya, who impressed in the recent series against Australia, also found a place in the Indian squad.

Manish Pandey, who featured in the ODI series against Australia, was left out of the team to be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Patil expressed his faith in Dhoni's leadership despite the recent mixed run.

"We have no right to tell people when to retire, we have total faith in Dhoni's captaincy. He is the right person to lead in Asia Cup and World T20," Patil said.

The 23-year-old Negi, who bowls left-arm spin and is a decent batsman, was rewarded for his consistent performance in the domestic circuit. That Negi will be a contender for the World Cup team had become obvious when he was selected for the three-match series against Sri Lanka this month.

Ajinkya Rahane also found a place in the squad ahead of Pandey, who hit a match-winning century in the last ODI against Australia.

Pandey got his break owing to an injury to Rahane and even though he made it count, the selectors opted to go with the more experienced player.

"Manish Pandey performed exceptionally well in Australia, his name was also discussed," Patil said.

Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was retained in the side despite not getting a single T20 in the series against Australia.

"Harbhajan has been a part of this team. The selectors, the team management and the captain have faith in Harbhajan, his record and the contribution he has made to the team," Patil explained.

Injury-prone pacer Mohammed Shami, whose most recent breakdown happened only last month during the Australia tour, has been picked subject to fitness.

“When selectors decide the final combination, we give importance to domestic performance,” said chairman of selection committee Sandeep Patil.

“Whether he is fit, a contributor in the real sense which will benefit the outcome of the entire tour. It is not only about seniors, we are looking at players’ current performances,” he added.

Discussing Mohammad Shami’s inclusion in the side, Patil said,  “We have 30 days now, so Shami has time. We have good time for making a call on Shami, he has been one of the best bowlers. He has recovered.”

Patil said the team management had done its share of experimentations during the Australia tour.

“The experiments were done in the Australian tour. If we needed a replacement, we wanted to find the cricketer best suited for a position. Here, the players get a short time to make a point. We discussed lot of names,” added Patil.

When asked about Amit Mishra's exclusion from the squad, Patil said, "You cannot let your emotions drive you when selecting team, we did discuss Amit Mishra and many others but this was the best combination."

The MS Dhoni-led side will open their World Twenty20 campaign against New Zealand on March 15 and will go on to play against arch rivals Pakistan on March 19 in Dharamsala.

India will have two more games in Super 10 on March 23 against Qualifier 1 and against Australia on March 27 in Mohali.

Team India for ICC World T20 and Asia Cup:

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (Captain and wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra, Pawan Negi, Mohammad Shami.