Ishan and Shahrukh have been added to India’s team for the first ODI

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) added two players to the squad on Saturday, wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, and big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, for the first One-Day International against the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

After three players in the initial team tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the ODI series opening, the two players were added to the squad. After arriving in Ahmedabad, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shreyas Iyer, as well as standby player Navdeep Saini, all contracted the infection.

Mayank Agarwal was recently added to India’s ODI team, but skipper Rohit Sharma stated on Saturday that the Karnataka batsman is still in quarantine. In the opening ODI, which will also be India’s 1000th in the 50-over edition of the game, he announced he will open with Ishan Kishan.

The BCCI had stated when announcing the initial roster that KL Rahul, the team’s vice-captain, will be unavailable for the first ODI owing to personal reasons.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has added Ishan Kishan and Shahrukh Khan to India’s team for Sunday’s first One-Day International against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium,” the BCCI stated in a statement.

Shahrukh earns his first ODI call-up after good performances in the IPL 2021, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Ishan played two ODIs against Sri Lanka last year, hitting a fifty on his ODI debut. The big hitter from Tamil Nadu is also likely to spark a bidding battle at the IPL 2022 auction, which will take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.

Earlier in the day, Rohit gave an update on the players who tested positive for Covid, stating that Ishan will open the first ODI with him.

“Ishan is our only option,” Rohit remarked, “and he’ll open with me in the first ODI.”