Windies recall Pollard, Bravo for T20Is vs India; Gayle declines selection

West Indies have recalled seasoned batsmen Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo to the T20 International squad for the three-match rubber against India after explosive opener Chris Gayle "declined selection".

Chanderpaul Hemraj, the 25-year-old left-hand batsman, has been included in the Windies team for the five-match One-day International (ODI) series, while Oshane Thomas, a 21-year-old right-arm medium pacer, and Fabian Allen, an aggressive right-hand batsman and left-arm spinner, found themselves in both the ODI and T20I squads.

According to a release from West Indies Cricket, star all-rounder Andre Russell was not included in the ODI squad due to fitness concerns, but he is in the T20I set-up, as are Pollard and Bravo. Alzarri Joseph, who has been named in the ODI squad, will undergo a fitness test before leaving for India.

Jason Holder will captain the Windies in the ODI series while Carlos Brathwaite will captain the team for the T20I series against India.

Commenting on Gayle's decision to opt out of the tour, Courtney Brownie, Chairman of the selection panel, said: "We will be without our stalwart, Chris Gayle for this Indian tour and the next tour against Bangladesh as he has declined selection at this time, however, he has made himself available for the selection for the visit of England to the Caribbean and the CWC in 2019."

"As we continue our World Cup preparations, the upcoming tour of India provides a great opportunity to expose some of our young talent."

"Opener, Chandrapul Hemraj, all-rounder Fabian Allen and fast bowler Oshane Thomas will get their opportunity to showcase their skills, along with Sunil Ambris, who is returning to the fold," Brownie added.

Explaining the reason behind announcing the squad so early, Johnny Grave, Chief Executive Officer of the Windies, said: "The team will have a camp before the start of the ODI series in Guwahati, so we had to select the squad before the start of the Super50 Cup, in order to organise flights and visas."

"With the CPL finishing last month, there was no reason to delay announcing the T20 squad," he added.

Squads:

ODI: Jason Holder (Captain), Fabian Allen, Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Oshane Thomas.

T20I: Carlos Brathwaite (Captain), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Oshane Thomas.

--IANS

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