The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the Indian squad that will compete in the upcoming series against South Africa. After a tour of New Zealand that every Indian cricketer and fan would like to forget, the men in blue will take on the Proteas for the three-match ODI series. The first match will be played at Dharamshala, while the other two will be played at Lucknow and Kolkata respectively.
Contrary to what many reported, Virat Kohli has not been handed a rest ahead of the IPL. Hence, the Indian skipper will be leading his team in this series. Shikhar Dhawan, who has been out of action for quite a while now, is fit and raring to go. He will be seen battling against Lungi Ngidi & Co. However, his opening partner Rohit Sharma has still not recovered from the injury he sustained in the New Zealand tour. Sharma will be back directly in the IPL.
Amongst other notable mentions, Hardik Pandya has been declared fit and has been included in the squad. The all-rounder is currently spitting fire in Mumbai’s domestic competition. India also missed Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the New Zealand tour. The cunning pacer has been included in the squad, while Mohammed Shami has been rested. Prithvi Shaw has sealed his place in the team, which subsequently means that Mayank Agarwal misses out. Another youngster in Shubman Gill has also been selected.
Indian Squad for the ODI Series: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill.
What about the South African squad?
South Africa has named a team with a good mixture of exuberance and experience. Veteran batsman Faf du Plessis has been called up, while newbie Janneman Malan has also earned a place in the team. George Linde has received his maiden call up. The side will be captained by Quinton de Kock.
South African Squad: Quinton de Kock (c, wk), Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Verreynne, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Jon-Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan.