The All India Senior Selection Committee has announced the 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa. The young fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir Umran Malik, who impressed in IPL 2022, has earned a maiden call-up.
The senior cricketers have been rested and have been picked for the one-off Test series against England, scheduled to commence on July 1. KL Rahul will lead the T20I squad against South Africa, starting June 9.
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. He picked up 21 wickets in 13 fixtures so far and often clocking speeds in excess of 150 kmph. 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.
T20I Squad – KL Rahul (Capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(VC) (wk),Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Y Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 22, 2022
Meanwhile, ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya is back in the India squad for the first time since the T20 World Cup last year. He has been in spectacular form in the ongoing IPL 2022, leading Gujarat Titans from the front. Dinesh Karthik, who has taken IPL 2022 by storm, has also made a comeback to the squad.
The spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who were outstanding in the IPL 2022 this year, is back as well. Young spinner Ravi Bishnoi also made the cut.
India’s squad for South Africa: KL Rahul (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (VC) (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 vs South Africa – Full Schedule
1st T20I match, June 9 in Delhi
2nd T20I match, 12 June in Cuttack
3rd T20 International, June 14 in Visakhapatnam
4th T20 International, 17 June in Rajkot
5th T20 International, June 19 in Bengaluru
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