The 18-member squad will be led by KL Rahul, with a host of first-team players being rested in order to prepare for the tour of England. The likes of captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah have all been given a break. The series against South Africa though will provide a massive opportunity for India to test their bench strength and finalize their combination ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
Some of the best performers in the ongoing edition of the IPL have been rewarded, finding their place in the squad. These include the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik.
xperienced internationals Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya are also in the fold, the latter having proved his fitness and leading Gujarat Titans brilliantly to a top of the table finish in the league stage of the IPL.
Karthik has been in blistering form at the back end of the innings for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, having won numerous games for the franchise as a designated finisher.
Umran Malik has turned some heads with his raw pace for the Hyderabad-based franchise, consistently clicking speeds of over 150 kmph. Arshdeep Singh has emerged as a brilliant death overs specialist for Punjab Kings, enjoying one of the better economy rates in the tournament.
Deepak Hooda and Venkatesh Iyer also retain their place in the squad, despite not having the best of tournaments. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are also included in the squad, on the back of their impressive performances for Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals respectively.
India will begin their five-match T20I series against South Africa on June 9 in Delhi, with the final match being played in Bengaluru on June 19.
India squad for SA T20Is: KL Rahul (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
India have also named the squad for the rescheduled Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham starting from 1 July. Impressive performances in the County Championship has helped Cheteshwar Pujara make a comeback into the Test squad after being dropped for the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Prasidh Krishna, who has impressed in the white-ball format for India, finds a place in the squad.
India squad for England Test: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain) Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
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