Team India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa was announced on Sunday. The BCCI decided to give senior players like Kohli, Rohit, and Bumrah some rest after the extensive 2 month-long IPL. With the unavailability of Captain Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul will take the responsibility of leading the team.
Umran Malik and Arshdeep get their maiden calls for Team India. With his raw pace and ability to challenge the greatest of hitters, SRH speedster, Umran Malik’s selection was more or less expected. Umran regularly bowled above 150 km/h this season and created the record for bowling the fastest delivery in the IPL 2022. On the other hand, brilliant at bowling in death overs, Arshdeep’s selection comes as a pleasant surprise.
Hardik Pandya is all set to return to Team India after a long break owing to injuries and not-so-great performances. Meanwhile, veteran wicketkeeper-batsman and RCB’s current finisher, Dinesh Karthik has made it back to the team after the 2019 World Cup.
After his outstanding performance, there were rumors that Lucknow SuperGiants pacer Mohsin Khan could be in the mix for selection. Nonetheless, he was not preferred by the selection panel. Another brilliant performer this season waiting for his selection was Rahul Tripathi. In IPL 2022, the right-handed Tripathi smashed the ball wonderfully for SRH, scoring 413 runs, his most in a season. Unfortunately, he has to wait a little longer to wear the blue jersey.
India’s T20I squad for the South Africa series:
- Batsmen: KL Rahul (Capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer,
- Wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant(VC) (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk),
- All-rounder: Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer,
- Spinners: Y Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi,
- Pacers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
