India announce 18-member squad for South Africa T20Is

After an enthralling two months of IPL fever, the action now shifts to the international fixtures as India is set to play two consecutive series at the same time after the cash-rich tournament comes to end on May 29. The big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are expected to be on the flight to England for the one Test remaining from the tour last year while KL Rahul has been named as the captain of the limited-overs leg at home against South Africa.

The impressive youngsters from the IPL circuit this year have all been provided call ups for the South Africa series and it will be a great opportunity for them to excel on the international stage, ahead of the much-awaited T20 World Cup 2022. The combination of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who were outstanding in the IPL 2022 this year, is back as well.

Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh earn maiden call-ups

Pace sensation Umran Malik, who has been one of the finds of IPL 2022, made it to the international setup for the first time after an impressive season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Arshdeep Singh, who was excellent in the death overs for the Punjab Kings, has been provided with an opportunity and his left-arm angle could be an added luxury.

In the batting department, Dinesh Karthik, who was in supreme form for RCB, has returned to the Indian squad. Hardik’s bowling fitness will be one of the things to watch out for in the series. His excellent captaincy for Gujarat Titans has earned him the responsibility at the international stage and his all-rounder role will be crucial to the plans of India in the T20 World Cup 2022 squad.

India’s squad for SA series:

KL Rahul (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (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.