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Indian players are all set to resume their national duties as they take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series at home. After IPL 2022, this is the first series for the Indian team in their national colours. Several senior players including captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been rested for this series. In their absence, KL Rahul will lead the side for the IND vs SA assignment.
In another major update, the series is set to be played without any bio-secure bubble as the situation with regard to the pandemic has improved significantly. The series will kick off with a match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by the second T20I at Cuttack on June 12, after which both teams will travel to Visakhapatnam for the third match taking place on June 14.
Ahead of the series opener, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has bought the first ticket for the second T20 international to be played at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Reportedly, Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, the president of Odisha Cricket Association (OCA), and Sanjay Behera, the secretary of OCA have handed over the ticket to the CM at his home on Monday (June 6) and briefed him about the security measures and process adapted for the smooth sale of tickets in the stadium.
Speaking of the team, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant will be Rahul's deputy in the series, while players like Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya are set to make a comeback on the back of impressive performances in the recently concluded Indian Premier League. Youngsters like Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik have got their maiden call after both the players put in an amazing show in the T20 domestic tournament.
Here's the schedule for the IND vs SA T20I series
1st T20I- June 9 – Delhi
2nd T20- June 12 – Cuttack
3rd T20I- June 14 – Visakhapatnam
4th T20I- June 17 – Rajkot
5th T20I- June 19 – Bengaluru
Squad:
India: 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
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen