Umran Malik receives T20I call-up; Pujara returns to Test fold
KL Rahul will lead Team India in the five-match T20I series against South Africa, starting June 9. Seamers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have been roped in, while Dinesh Karthik returns to the T20I fold. The BCCI also announced India's squad for the rescheduled Test from the 2021 England series. Cheteshwar Pujara returns to the Test squad, while Ajinkya Rahane has been excluded.
India's T20I squad for SA series
India's T20I squad: KL Rahul (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Y Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Umran Malik.
Rohit, Virat, Bumrah to miss T20I series
India's all-format captain Rohit Sharma, senior batter Virat Kohli, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah have been rested from the T20I series against South Africa. KL Rahul, who led India in the ODI series against South Africa earlier this year, will spearhead in Rohit's absence. While batter Rishabh Pant has been named the vice-captain, all-rounder Hardik Pandya returns to the T20I squad.
Umran, Arshdeep receive maiden T20I call-ups
Uncapped fast bowlers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have received their maiden national call-ups. Umran, who represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022, has been the talk of the town due to his searing deliveries. Meanwhile, Arshdeep (Punjab Kings) grabbed eyeballs with his phenomenal spells in the death overs. The T20I squad also includes youngsters Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Avesh Khan.
The schedule for India-SA series
India and South Africa are set to compete in a five-match T20I series as a lead-up to the 2022 T20 World Cup. The Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, will host the series opener on June 9. The two teams will travel to Cuttack (Barabati Stadium) for the second T20I (June 12). Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Bengaluru will host the next three T20Is (June 14, 17, 19).
Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer named in Test squad
As stated, the BCCI also announced the squad for the fifth Test between England and India (2021 series: India lead 2-1), which was rescheduled to July 2022 owing to COVID-19 scare. Shubman Gill replaces Mayank Agarwal, while Shreyas Iyer will be backed for the middle order. Interestingly, KS Bharat is the second wicket-keeper in the squad. He replaces the experienced Wriddhiman Saha.
Pujara makes a comeback!
Senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who was dropped for the Sri Lanka Test series, makes a comeback. The Indian top-order batter has been on a roll in the County Championship Division Two. Pujara is the third-highest run-scorer, having scored 720 at an incredible average of 120.00. The tally includes two double-hundreds. Pujara sealed a berth in the Test squad on the back of these performances.
India's squad for England Test
India's Test Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), R Jadeja, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
