Eye-catching performances in the ongoing edition of the IPL have been richly rewarded as India named their squad for the upcoming home T20I series against South Africa on Sunday, 22 May.
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The selection committee has also named India’s 17-member Test squad for the rescheduled Test against England in Edgbaston, set to be played starting July 1.
The 18-member T20I 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. All of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah were given a break, with the squad featuring plenty of fresh faces.
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 got their due as they find their place in the squad. These include the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik.
Experienced internationals Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya are also in the fold, the latter having proved his fitness and having led 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 fantastic 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 a lukewarm tournament. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are also included in the squad, on the back of their performances for the Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, respectively.
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India will begin their five-match T20I series against South Africa on 9 June in Delhi, with the final match being played in Bengaluru on 19 June.
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. Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been in the top five run-scorers in the County Championship Division 2, makes comeback into the Test squad after being dropped for the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Also included in the Test list is fast bowler Prasidh Krishna, who has done well in the white-ball format for India.
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.
