India ring changes for Sri Lanka series under leadership of Rohit Sharma

India's selectors made major changes to the Test squad following the shock defeat in South Africa as they picked the team for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Senior batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped from the team, which will be led by Rohit Sharma with fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah named his deputy for the two-Test series which starts in Mohali on March 4.

Pujara and Rahane have struggled with the bat and managed just one fifty each in six innings in South Africa, where India lost the series 2-1 despite winning the first match comprehensively. Both were told to get back to India's domestic red-ball competition - the Ranji Trophy tournament - to regain form.

Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan

"The selection committee deliberated a lot on Rahane and Pujara," Chetan Sharma, chairman of selectors, said.

"We told them we will not consider them against Sri Lanka but doors are open for them. We told them to go and play Ranji Trophy."

Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and veteran pacer Ishant Sharma were also omitted.

The other major news was the return of bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja alongside spin partner Ravichandran Ashwin,